Unresponsive means a person does not react when you speak to them or try to rouse them. In first aid, this is a medical emergency because the person may not be protecting their airway or breathing normally.
What does unresponsive mean?
If a person is unresponsive, they do not answer, open their eyes, move normally, or react in a meaningful way when you talk to them or gently try to wake them.
This is one of the most important early checks in a Primary Survey and in DRSABCD.
What should you check first?
Start with the early emergency priorities:
- Make sure the area is safe.
- Check for a response by speaking loudly and gently squeezing or tapping the person.
- Call
000or send someone for help. - Open the airway. The broader page for this step is Airway Management.
- Check whether they are breathing normally. Slow gasping or Agonal Breathing does not count as normal breathing.
These checks connect directly to the broader Basic Life Support pathway.
What if they are breathing normally?
If the person is unresponsive but breathing normally, place them in the Recovery Position if appropriate and keep watching their breathing until help arrives.
Do not give them food or drink. Do not leave them alone. Keep re-checking because their condition can change.
What if they are not breathing normally?
If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, call 000 and start CPR.
If an AED is available, use it as soon as possible and follow the prompts.
Why might someone become unresponsive?
There are many possible causes, including:
- head injury
- seizure
- stroke
- poisoning or overdose
- severe allergic reaction
- heart problem
- low blood sugar
- lack of oxygen
You do not need to know the exact cause before acting. The priority is to check breathing and begin the right response.
Is unresponsive the same as unconscious?
The terms are closely related. In first aid, an Unconscious person is unresponsive.
For this site, unresponsive works best as the practical main page because it matches the real first aid question: are they responding, and are they breathing normally?
Quick answer
Unresponsive means a person is not reacting when you speak to them or try to wake them. In first aid, it should quickly lead into the early emergency steps in Primary Survey and DRSABCD, then toward Recovery Position if they are breathing normally or CPR if they are not.
How this page is checked
Publisher: First Aid Glossary Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 28 April 2026
Reviewed against: ANZCOR Guideline 3 – Recognition and First Aid Management of the Unconscious Person, ANZCOR Guideline 4 – Airway, and Triple Zero emergency-call guidance.
This page is educational and explains first aid language in plain English. It is not personal medical advice, diagnosis, or a replacement for accredited first aid training. In an emergency in Australia, call Triple Zero (000).
