Wilderness EMS Institute - Personal Wilderness Medical Kit (1999)

At a glance..

Choosing the contents of a wilderness medical or first aid kit is hard. But if you are putting together such a kit, you may look to this document for help.

The details..

"Personal Wilderness Medical Kit" by Keith Conover, M.D., is an essential resource for anyone who spends time in remote or wild places. This book offers practical advice on designing and assembling a medical kit that can provide initial care during search-and-rescue operations or other emergencies when standard medical care is not available. The author has included extensive lists of medications, equipment and supplies that are necessary for treating common injuries and illnesses encountered in the wilderness.

The book begins with basic questions one should ask before putting together a medical kit: Who will use it? How many people will it serve? What special needs do they have? How long will the kit need to provide care? Where will they be going? And how much weight can they carry?

Based on these considerations, Dr. Conover provides guidance on selecting appropriate items for inclusion in your personal wilderness medical kit. He also explains why certain items may be more useful than others depending upon specific circumstances (e.g., altitude-related medications if hiking at high elevations). Additionally he suggests ways to balance competing demands between team members' preferences versus those recommended by physicians.

Overall this book serves as an excellent reference tool both for individuals interested in creating their own personal first aid kits but also emergency responders tasked with providing advanced life support services under challenging conditions.