Written information providing first aid advice for patients presenting to the Emergency Department

INTERVENTION: Written information with first aid information. Patients will be randomised in clusters by the day they attend the ED to either the intervention arm or the control arm. The intervention group will receive an additional information leaflet giving information on first aid for the injury they have sustained; this will be in addition to normal care which would not be altered. The control group will receive all normal care, including any other verbal or written information they would normally receive about the after‐care for their injury. Both arms will be followed up at 4 weeks by telephone. ED records will be checked at 3 months for reattendances for both arms. CONDITION: Minor injuries: Wounds, limb injuries, and head injuries ; Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning PRIMARY OUTCOME: Change between baseline assessment and follow‐up assessment of confidence in first aid management if the patient were to suffer the an injury again. SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Confidence of first aid management to someone else. Confidence in first aid will be measured on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being 'Not confident' and 10 being 'Very confident' with half measures being accepted.; 2. Improvement in the correct knowledge of first aid. Correct knowledge of first aid will be assessed based on an answer to an open question; answers will be marked correct if key words or phrases are used in the absence of any treatments which would be harmful.; 3. How useful the written information was rated. Use of the material will be assessed using a series of yes/no questions and asking them to rate its usefulness on a scale of 0 ('not useful') to 10 ('very useful').; 4. The use of other first aid information; related and unrelated reattendances to the Emergency Department within 3 months. The reattendance outcomes will be measured at 3 months by reviewing ED records at that time.; ; Most outcomes will be measured during the patients' attendance to the ED by a researcher in person, and at 4 weeks by telephone. Questionnaires will be used. INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1 Presenting to the Emergency Department at the Northern General Hospital, or Minor Injury Unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital during the study period between 9am and 8pm. 2. Book in to reception with the presenting complaint of a head injury, limb injury, or wound between the hours of 9am and 8pm during the study period.