Concepts You Must Know in Order to Understand This Handbook

I do not intend to prepare expert paramedics but hope that the reader can hold in their hands a basic and simple guide to cope safely and efficiently with common health issues. Before I enter fully into the information, I want to clarify some basic concepts that will be repeated throughout the chapters of this manual as it is important to have a clear understanding of them.

Acute and Chronic Disease

An acute illness is one that occurs suddenly and improves in a short amount time with the right treatment, for example, conjunctivitis. On the other hand, chronic diseases are those that last over time. Some examples of chronic diseases are arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Emergency and Urgency

An urgent situation is one that arises suddenly and must be dealt with in the short term. It can be improved with some measures and can wait some time to be completely resolved. An emergency, on the other hand, is a condition that threatens the life of the affected person. It should be treated immediately.