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Printable First Aid Acronyms Poster

A bold Australian wall chart for the acronyms people reach for under pressure: DRSABCD, CPR, AED, FAST, RICER, ASCIA, SAMPLE, OPQRST, HLTAID011, PPE, BBV, NSI, PEP and more.

In an emergency in Australia, call Triple Zero (000). For poisoning advice call 13 11 26. Use this poster as a learning reference, not as a replacement for accredited training or emergency operators.

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Printable Australian first aid acronyms poster visual guide

Poster Notes

This page is designed to print cleanly and also work as a fast reference on mobile. Online, each acronym links to its full guide with meaning, common mistakes, and Australian source links.

Acronym Finder Cheat Sheet A-Z Index FAQ

Act Now Injury Care Assess And Handover Workplace And Training Chemicals And Poisons

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Act Now

Start here for collapse, stroke signs, anaphylaxis, asthma, choking and poisoning advice pathways.

DRSABCD The big emergency sequence: Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, CPR and Defibrillation. DRSABCD Meaning: The Australian First Aid Action Plan CPR CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the emergency technique used when someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally. CPR Meaning in First Aid: Compressions, Breaths and the Australian Basics AED An AED is the public-access defibrillator that gives spoken instructions and may deliver a shock during cardiac arrest. AED Meaning: Automated External Defibrillator Explained for Australians FAST FAST is the public stroke warning sign acronym used across Australia. FAST Stroke Acronym: Face, Arms, Speech, Time ASCIA ASCIA is the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the name behind the familiar anaphylaxis action plans. ASCIA Action Plan: The Anaphylaxis First Aid Acronym Australians See Everywhere EAI EAI usually means epinephrine autoinjector, also called an adrenaline autoinjector in Australian first aid language. EAI Meaning: Epinephrine or Adrenaline Autoinjector 4x4x4 4x4x4 is a memorable asthma first aid pattern used with a reliever puffer and spacer. 4x4x4 Asthma First Aid: The Australian Reliever Reminder FBAO FBAO means Foreign Body Airway Obstruction, the clinical phrase often used in choking guidance. FBAO Meaning: Foreign Body Airway Obstruction and Choking PIC PIC means Poisons Information Centre, the 24-hour Australian advice line for poisoning, bites, stings and toxic exposure. PIC Meaning: Poisons Information Centre and 13 11 26

Injury Care

Use after urgent danger signs are ruled out: sport injury, soft-tissue care, bites and bleeding control.

RICER RICER is the classic Australian sports first aid acronym for early soft-tissue injury care. RICER First Aid: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and Referral RICE RICE means Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, a shorter cousin of RICER. RICE First Aid: The Simple Soft-Tissue Injury Acronym PRICE PRICE is a soft-tissue injury acronym that adds Protection to the older RICE approach. PRICE Meaning: Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation POLICE POLICE means Protection, Optimal Loading, Ice, Compression and Elevation, an injury-care acronym that evolved from PRICE. POLICE Meaning: Protection and Optimal Loading for Soft-Tissue Injuries PEACE & LOVE PEACE & LOVE is a newer soft-tissue injury framework that covers early protection and later active recovery. PEACE & LOVE Meaning: A Modern Soft-Tissue Injury Recovery Acronym NO HARM NO HARM is the caution label often paired with RICER in sports injury care. NO HARM First Aid: What to Avoid After a Soft-Tissue Injury TOTAPS TOTAPS helps first aiders assess a sporting injury in a calm, step-by-step way. TOTAPS First Aid: The Sports Injury Assessment Acronym PIT PIT stands for Pressure Immobilisation Technique, often used for serious Australian snake and some venomous bite risks. PIT First Aid: Pressure Immobilisation Technique for Australian Bites RID RID is a short bleeding-control reminder: Rest, Immobilise and Direct Pressure. RID First Aid Acronym: Rest, Immobilise and Direct Pressure for Bleeding

Assess And Handover

Organise what happened, what changed, what you saw and what has already been done.

AVPU AVPU is a quick way to describe a person's level of responsiveness. AVPU First Aid: Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive COWS COWS is a first aid response check that helps you work out whether a person can hear, open their eyes and respond. COWS First Aid: A Simple Response Check GCS GCS means Glasgow Coma Scale, a clinical score used to describe consciousness after illness or injury. GCS Meaning: Glasgow Coma Scale in First Aid Handover LOC LOC usually means loss of consciousness or level of consciousness, depending on the context. LOC Meaning: Loss or Level of Consciousness SAMPLE SAMPLE helps first aiders gather useful information while help is coming. SAMPLE First Aid History: The Questions Worth Asking PQRST PQRST helps make pain questions specific enough to be useful. PQRST Pain Assessment: A First Aid Question Framework OPQRST OPQRST is a pain and symptom assessment acronym: Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity and Time. OPQRST Meaning: Pain Assessment Questions in First Aid and Handover ISBAR ISBAR means Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation: a structured way to hand over important information. ISBAR Meaning: A Safer Handover Framework MIST MIST is a compact trauma handover format: Mechanism, Injuries, Signs and Treatment. MIST Handover: Mechanism, Injuries, Signs and Treatment IMIST-AMBO IMIST-AMBO is an Australian ambulance-to-hospital handover acronym for clear, structured patient information. IMIST-AMBO Meaning: Australian Ambulance Handover Acronym SBAR SBAR is a communication acronym for Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation. SBAR Meaning: Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation

Workplace And Training

Decode course-code, workplace safety, infection-control and blood-exposure language.

HLTAID009 HLTAID009 is the Australian nationally recognised unit code for Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation. HLTAID009 Meaning: Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation HLTAID010 HLTAID010 is the Australian unit code for Provide basic emergency life support. HLTAID010 Meaning: Provide Basic Emergency Life Support HLTAID011 HLTAID011 is the common Australian nationally recognised unit code for Provide First Aid. HLTAID011 Meaning: Provide First Aid in Australia HLTAID012 HLTAID012 is the Australian first aid unit code for education and care settings such as childcare and early learning. HLTAID012 Meaning: First Aid in an Education and Care Setting HLTAID014 HLTAID014 is the Australian unit code for Provide Advanced First Aid. HLTAID014 Meaning: Provide Advanced First Aid WHS WHS means Work Health and Safety: the Australian workplace framework behind first aid kits, officers, training and emergency planning. WHS Meaning: Work Health and Safety for First Aid PCBU PCBU means Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, a key Australian WHS term for workplace safety duties. PCBU Meaning: The WHS Term Behind Workplace First Aid Duties PPE PPE means personal protective equipment: gloves, eye protection, masks or other gear that reduces risk while helping. PPE Meaning in First Aid: Personal Protective Equipment IPC IPC means infection prevention and control, the practical hygiene and PPE habits that reduce infection risk during first aid. IPC Meaning: Infection Prevention and Control in First Aid BBV BBV means blood-borne viruses, a key workplace first aid term when blood, sharps or body-fluid exposure is possible. BBV Meaning: Blood-Borne Viruses and First Aid Exposure Risk NSI NSI means needlestick injury, a puncture from a needle or sharp that may need urgent washing, reporting and medical advice. NSI Meaning: Needlestick Injury First Aid and Reporting PEP PEP means post-exposure prophylaxis, medicine that may reduce HIV risk after a possible exposure if started quickly after medical assessment. PEP Meaning: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis After HIV Exposure Risk

Chemicals And Poisons

Useful around labels, safety data sheets, carbon monoxide, contaminated scenes and workplace exposure.

SDS SDS means Safety Data Sheet, the workplace document that explains chemical hazards, first aid and safe handling. SDS Meaning: Safety Data Sheet for First Aid and Chemical Exposure MSDS MSDS means Material Safety Data Sheet, an older term many people still use when they mean SDS. MSDS Meaning: The Older Name for Safety Data Sheets GHS GHS means Globally Harmonized System, the classification and labelling system behind chemical hazard pictograms. GHS Meaning: Hazard Pictograms and Chemical Labels HAZCHEM HAZCHEM is shorthand for hazardous chemicals and appears on workplace chemical warning signs and placards. HAZCHEM Meaning: Hazardous Chemical Signs and Emergency Awareness CO CO means Carbon Monoxide, an invisible poisonous gas that can be life-threatening and cause collapse. CO Meaning: Carbon Monoxide and Poisoning First Aid PIC PIC means Poisons Information Centre, the 24-hour Australian advice line for poisoning, bites, stings and toxic exposure. PIC Meaning: Poisons Information Centre and 13 11 26 PPE PPE means personal protective equipment: gloves, eye protection, masks or other gear that reduces risk while helping. PPE Meaning in First Aid: Personal Protective Equipment IPC IPC means infection prevention and control, the practical hygiene and PPE habits that reduce infection risk during first aid. IPC Meaning: Infection Prevention and Control in First Aid

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This poster is educational and does not replace accredited first aid training, professional medical advice, workplace procedures or directions from emergency services.