A person has life-threatening bleeding from a wound on their head. What should you do?

When addressing life-threatening bleeding, applying direct pressure is a critical first step. This method effectively controls bleeding by encouraging blood clotting at the site of the injury. Placing your hands or a sterile dressing directly onto the wound creates a barrier that helps to slow or stop the flow of blood.

While calling for help is important and should be done promptly, the immediate action required to prevent further blood loss takes precedence. Tourniquets are typically used for limb injuries rather than head wounds, and they should only be applied if direct pressure fails, which is not the case here. Allowing the person to lie still may be beneficial in certain contexts, but it does little to address the urgent need to control severe bleeding. Thus, applying direct pressure is the most effective method to manage the situation immediately.