What Are the 5 Steps of BLS Assessment

Key Summary: Every BLS assessment step begins with making sure the scene is safe and checking if the person is responsive. If they’re unresponsive, call for help and check their breathing and pulse. If there’s no pulse, start CPR, use an AED if available, and continue care until professional help arrives or the person recovers. You can download samples of the bls assessment sheets below for practice.

For every healthcare worker, knowing basic life support steps is vital. But this know-how shouldn’t be just for nurses, doctors, and carers. Everyone needs to be involved beyond just health and social care workers. Understanding the basic steps involved in life support can help avert death. You can be working within a facility and someone collapses.

Knowing what you can do ( the right steps to take) in those first few minutes could save their life. We’ll look at the 5 main steps of Basic Life Support, called the “Chain of Survival”. We’ll explain each step clearly and show why these skills matter at work.

Our goal for this article is to help you understand practical steps to take during an emergency that can help save someone’s life.

By the end, you’ll know what to do in an emergency and understand why each step is important.

Image above: BLS Assessment Infographics.

Comprehensive Explanation: The Five Steps of Basic Life Support (BLS)

Step 1: Check the scene and Make Sure it is safe

Before you approach a victim, the first action is ensuring the environment is safe for you and the patient.

The first step involves:

• Look around the area for potential hazards (like electrical dangers, chemical spills, unstable structures)
• Look around you for any ongoing threats (like fire, traffic, violent situations)
• Using personal protective equipment (PPE) if available and necessary
• Determining the mechanism of injury or nature of illness if possible
• Identifying the number of victims involved

Only proceed when you’ve confirmed the scene is safe. If the scene is dangerous, call for professional help instantly and do not approach.

Step 2: Check the patient’s Airway, Breathing, and Circulation (ABC)

This critical step helps you quickly assess the patient’s condition:

• Airway:
  • Check if the airway is open and clear
  • Look for any visible obstructions in the mouth
  • For an unresponsive person, gently tilt the head back and lift the chin to open the airway
• Breathing:
  • Look for chest rise and fall
  • Listen for breath sounds
  • Feel for air coming from the nose or mouth
  • Determine if breathing is normal, abnormal, or absent
• Circulation:
  • Check for a pulse (carotid artery for adults and children, brachial artery for infants)
  • Look for signs of life such as movement, coughing, or normal breathing
  • Check for severe bleeding

Step 3: Call for help/Activate Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Quick activation of emergency response is crucial:

• If alone with an adult victim, call for emergency services before starting CPR
• For children or suspected drowning victims, perform 2 minutes of CPR before calling if you’re alone
• In a workplace, follow your specific emergency response plan
• When calling emergency services:
  • State your location clearly
  • Describe the situation
  • Answer the dispatcher’s questions
  • Follow any instructions given
  • Don’t hang up until told to do so

Step 4: Check for breathing and pulse

This step involves a more detailed assessment of the patient’s breathing and circulation:

• Breathing:
  • Take no more than 10 seconds to check for normal breathing
  • Look for chest rise and fall
  • Listen for breath sounds
  • Feel for air from the nose or mouth
  • Gasping is not considered normal breathing
• Pulse:
  • Check the carotid pulse for adults and children
  • For infants, check the brachial pulse
  • Take no more than 10 seconds to determine if there’s a definite pulse

Step 5: Begin chest compressions and rescue breaths (CPR) and use AED when available

If there’s no normal breathing or pulse, start CPR immediately:

• Position the victim on a firm, flat surface
• For adults:
  • Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, with the other hand on top.
  • Push hard and fast: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute
  • After 30 compressions, give 2 rescue breaths (if trained and willing)
• For children:
  • Use one or two hands depending on the child’s size
  • Compress at least one-third the depth of the chest (about 2 inches)
  • Use the same rate as for adults
• For infants:
  • Use two fingers for compressions
  • Compress about 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep
  • Maintain the rate of 100-120 compressions per minute
• Allow full chest recoil between compressions
• Minimise interruptions in chest compressions

Point to note:

• Use the AED as soon as it’s available, even if you’ve already started CPR
• Minimise interruptions to chest compressions
• Follow the AED’s automated instructions carefully
• Continue this cycle of CPR and AED use until professional help arrives or the patient shows signs of life

High-quality CPR combined with early defibrillation (when indicated) provides the best chance of survival for the patient.

Practical Understanding of Basic Life Support

Understanding BLS goes beyond knowing the steps—You will need to get yourself trained in basic life support to understand better.

You will agree that learning out to drive by watching videos is different from having a practical experience of it.

This hands-on approach to learning Basic Life Support (BLS) is essential, and goes beyond the initial training.

For you to master these life-saving skills for real emergencies, keep these practical points in mind:

1. Regular Training: BLS skills need constant practice. Many workplaces offer yearly refresher courses. Like driving, the more you practice, the more natural it becomes.
2. Know Your Workspace: Be familiar with where emergency equipment like AEDs and first aid kits are located, just as you would know where controls are before driving.
3. Stay Calm: In an emergency, take a deep breath and follow the steps you’ve learned—similar to staying calm in difficult driving situations.
4. Work as a Team: If others are around, assign tasks (e.g., one does CPR, another calls for help or gets the AED), just like coordinating with other drivers.
5. Take Action: Even if you’re unsure, it’s better to do something than nothing. Emergency services can guide you if you are on the phone with them. Call 999 or your local emergency number.

If you combine frequent practice with these tips, you will become more confident as most people who read without practice often miss the steps required.

Like driving, practice is key to becoming competent.

You can check our bls checklists also for different versions you can download and use.

Why is Basic Life Support Important for the Workplace?

Next, we need to look at some reasons why employers should ensure everyone is trained in Basic Life Support (BLS).

This responsibility is not just for nurses and support workers; anyone can learn the skills to save a life, even at home.

1. Immediate Response: In a cardiac emergency, quick action is crucial. With colleagues trained in BLS, help is always nearby.
2. Improved Survival Rates: Fast basic life support can double or triple the chances of survival from cardiac arrest.
3. Safer Environment: A workplace where employees are trained in BLS is inherently safer.
4. Legal and Ethical Obligation: Many workplaces have a duty of care to provide a safe environment, which includes having staff trained in emergency procedures.
5. Builds Confidence: Knowing BLS skills empowers employees, making them more confident and productive in their roles.
6. Community Benefit: BLS skills learned at work can be applied anywhere, potentially saving lives beyond the workplace.

Conclusion

We discussed the basic life support bls assessment steps needed for basic life support and introduced the concepts of chain of survival. Basic life support is an important skill that should be a priority in any workplace and at home.  Learning it can help save a life.

Don’t forget the five important steps of basic life support—recognition and activation, advanced CPR, early defibrillation, advanced life support, and post-cardiac arrest care .

By understanding these steps and how to use them effectively, you don’t just meet the demands of the job—you’re equipping yourself with the ability to save lives.

Regular bls training, knowing your workplace’s emergency procedures, and having the confidence to act when needed are all important components of an effective BLS.

Remember, no action is better than any action in an emergency. Your willingness to step up, and the knowledge you acquired can make all the difference. By learning basic life support, you don’t just improve your business skills—you become a potential lifesaver.