What is secondary survey in first aid?

Secondary survey also known as secondary assessment is the process of discovering what has actually happened to the casualty and what injuries they have.

Secondary assessment is undergone after the primary assessments have been completed: (DR ABC- danger, response, airways, breathing and circulation) once it is clear that the casualty is breathing and whether they are conscious or not the secondary assessment can be underway.

from the head to the toes each part of the body is examined for bleeding, lumps and bumps, broken bones and deformities. As well as finding out about the physical injuries you should also look out for any medical alert bracelets which may state whether that person has an illness such as epilepsy; which in turn could be the reason for their collapse for example.