The majority of cases that are received and dealt with at the Trauma and Emergency Center of Rashid Hospital involve minor injuries, and only a small portion is serious injuries.

Firas Annajjar, consultant at the Trauma and Emergency Centre said that in 2012, the center received 1,68 thousand cases, and of these 7 per cent were major cases, 60 per cent were minor cases and 33 per cent were moderate cases.

He also pointed out that many of these cases could have been dealt with in health care centers.

Emergency Care was the topic if this week’s Twitter Clinic of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), ahead of World First Aid Day, which falls on Saturday.

Emergency visits are a well-known phenomenon in Dubai, where patients are not always familiar with a family doctor and find easy access in the always open doors of the emergency unity of a hospital.

As a specialised center, the Trauma and Emergency Center at Rashid Hospital has received a large portion of the emergency visits. In response, the DHA has opened two round-the-clock healthcare clinics for patients with moderate and minor injuries.

Low back pain, headache and sore throat are the main symptoms of minor cases that are received at the center, said Annajar.

Moderate cases mostly include sport-related injuries, abdominal pain and difficulty of breathing.

“It is important for people to understand that minor cases can be tackled by the primary healthcare centres instead of the trauma centre.

"At the centre, we prioritize care according to the severity of the case and minor cases end up having to wait for longer periods. When patients visit a primary healthcare clinic, it will be more convenient for them and it will reduce the number of unnecessary patient visits we receive,” commented Annajar.

Major cases received at the center mostly include road accident cases, heart attacks and falls and work related injuries

Further, first aid ideally starts before a patient arrives at a medical institution and when applied correctly, can change the outcome of the injury significantly.

However, in many cases first aid help is not applied due to lack of knowledge, say doctors.

“In a majority of minor cases such as simple bleeding, twisted ankle etc. patients have better outcomes if first aid is received early, provided the person administering first aid is taking care of his safety and administering the first aid appropriately," said Annajar.

Although first aid is even more significant in severe cases, this should only be provided when the person has received some form of training as to which steps to take.

“Administering first aid in severe cases such as heart attacks, drowning and loss of consciousness is possible if the person calls 999, asks for an ambulance and then speaks to ambulance officials with regard to steps he or she can take to help the patient, or if the person administering first aid has undertaken a first aid course, such as the heart saver course.

"However, if the person has not undergone any training and is administering first aid without consulting a healthcare professional, it can have adverse effects and this is not advisable.”

He added that the first and foremost rule is the safety of the first aid provider, so that the administrator does not become a second victim, as compromising the safety of the first aid administrator directly compromises the safety of the victim.

The 24/7 healthcare clinics of the DHA are located in Al Barsha and Nadd al Hammar.