We just lately wrote a publish the place EMTs shared their best safety tips for dangerous situations. In the feedback, nurses, medical doctors and different hospital employees additionally revealed their greatest recommendation. Here’s what they needed to say:
1.”EMT right here who has labored in a hospital setting. Please maintain a listing of your medical historical past, present medicines, allergy symptoms, and an emergency contact in your pockets or the emergency tab in your telephone. If you’re unconscious, please assist us in treating you.”
—28 Georgia
2.”Do not put butter or petroleum jelly on the burn!!! This will solely make it worse by inflicting an an infection. What this does is maintain the warmth in. Cool the burn with water, take away any jewellery (swelling will happen ) and any free clothes, name 911.”
—59, New York
3.”ER nurse. DO NOT go to the ER for issues that may be dealt with in an ER. ERs are inundated with small issues, which take away from the care of vital sufferers, OR much less vital sufferers is not going to be handled in addition to they’re wait.”
“Due to privateness insurance policies, you should not know what’s occurring to different sufferers within the emergency room. We might have forgotten your heat blanket as a result of we’re down the corridor making an attempt to resuscitate somebody; you simply do not realize it.”
—31, Florida
4.”Emergency room physician right here. If you’ve got chest ache that you have by no means had earlier than, name 911 or go to the emergency room and get checked out. I can not inform you the variety of households I’ve needed to consolation as a result of the liked one thought it was simply heartburn.”
—52, Texas
“If you expertise chest ache, left arm ache, sudden fatigue, CALL 911 or GO TO THE NEAREST PROCEDURE IMMEDIATELY! I’ve been an RN for 20 years and I simply misplaced a good friend TODAY to an enormous coronary heart assault. For the previous three days he had been having intermittent chest pains. Calling the emergency room even an hour earlier might have saved him. DON’T WAIT!”
—54, North Carolina
5.”Retired emergency room physician. If somebody is injured, do not transfer them or give them water. Just name 911.”
—65, New Mexico
6.”Whatever you do, do not take away the knife when you’re stabbed; for those who maintain it there, you’ll most certainly lose much less blood.”
-Anonymous
7.“I instructed all the youngsters in my household that for a few years I used to be an EMT, then a paramedic, then an RN, and I by no means pulled a lifeless particular person out of a seatbelt. But I scraped some off cliffs, bushes and bridge railings. Wear your seat belt!!!”
—70, Iowa
8.“Neuro ICU nurse: Don’t joke with head accidents. Even when you’ve got no signs at first, take it critically. Pain after damage generally is a very insidious signal of mind swelling. I’ve seen people who find themselves been checked they examined “OK” on assessments after the accident, however went dwelling with mind hemorrhages If you’ve got any doubts, ask for a good take a look at. If the ache begins later or will get worse, return to the hospital.
“Secondary mind damage can happen days after an accident. This refers back to the harm that happens after the accident, when the mind swells. Many secondary mind accidents trigger extra harm than the preliminary affect. Take it critically. And please do not drink for those who’ve had one.”
—Anonymous, 36
9.”Former ICU nurse: It’s not enjoyable, however filling out a well being care proxy or giving an influence of legal professional to make medical selections is not potential. Make your wants recognized and select somebody to hold them out. Someone who is just too emotional could also be too connected to hearken to you for those who say you do not wish to be saved in some circumstances Choose somebody grounded sufficient to hearken to you.
“Unless you’ve got specified in any other case, all makes an attempt might be made to save lots of you, even for those who dwell solely with machines and in depressing situations. You could also be 95 years previous and frail, however full CPR might be carried out, and that is not good. You cannot management what occurs if you cannot communicate for your self. If nobody is known as, your loved ones can get into disputes and argue about what ought to occur to you. This can destroy households. It might imply that you do not get the specified consequence. I do know nobody desires to assume the worst, however do it. You do not know what we see and the way individuals find yourself.”
—36, Rhode Island
10.“If you assume you or somebody is having a stroke, do not take aspirin or any blood thinners. Without imaging, you might be having a hemorrhagic stroke and these medicines might doubtlessly make issues worse. Show up at your native emergency room so we are able to first get the images after which proceed with the way to arrest you.”
“I’m a stroke physician, so that you perceive how necessary this message is!”
—36, Illinois
11.”If you assume you or somebody round you is in bother, do not joke. Call 911 IMMEDIATELY. There is one thing referred to as the “golden hour” associated to stroke and coronary heart assault. If you get to the emergency room by the primary now When signs start – chest ache, slurred speech, numbness, blurred imaginative and prescient, weak spot on one aspect of the face and/or physique, to call a number of – we are able to nearly at all times cease no matter is occurring.”
“But individuals at all times wish to deny that it might be ‘one thing unhealthy,’ or they do not wish to smash their plans. Well, a serious stroke or dying actually ruins your plans. Always hearken to your instincts; we’re right here to assist and everybody might be comfortable if it seems it is nothing. But it is a rattling good day when somebody saves their brains and their life as a result of they weren’t unreasonable in denying the horses’ butts.”
—53, Ohio
12.“If you witness or come throughout an accident and really feel the necessity to assist, the very first thing you could do is concentrate on your environment. Make certain the scene is secure; examples are downed electrical wires, oncoming site visitors , gas leak and sparks/hearth. Remember, your security comes first. You can not help for those who get harm.”
—59, California
13.”After a automotive accident during which one car hits one other, don’t stand between the 2 automobiles to evaluate the harm. If a 3rd automotive doesn’t cease and collides with the 2 stopped automobiles, your legs might be crushed and even amputated .”
—71, Missouri
14.“If you’re a mother or father, carry with you a LifeVac with you EVERYWHERE you go. Choking deaths are horrific. I’ve cared for adults and infants who died or got here near dying as a result of suffocation. The Heimlich does not work for everybody, particularly for those who’re obese and rescuers cannot hug you.”
—31, Florida
15.“NP dependancy right here. If you meet somebody who has overdosed on opioids, give them Narcan as indicated. If it does not appear to work, give a second dose if out there. Even if somebody wakes up after the primary dose, they might nonetheless want a second dose inside 30 to 60 minutes as a result of Narcan begins to put on off sooner than fentanyl. Always take the particular person to the emergency room/clinic for analysis as quickly as potential, even when they seem effective as soon as woke up, as an overdose can “begin once more” after the primary dose of Narcan wears off.”
—38, United States
16.”If you see an accident, pull over and see if anybody wants emergency companies. DO NOT take away anybody from the automotive except it’s on hearth. Removing somebody improperly can harm their backbone, inflicting a neurological deficit.”
—31, Florida
And lastly…
17.“Do not mislead suppliers (medical doctors, nurses, and so on.) in regards to the circumstances of your damage or different medical historical past. We can’t present ample care with out all the knowledge, and withholding info might have severe penalties. I’ve had a affected person cover the identify of a sure drug prescribed as a result of he was embarrassed and the drug ordered by the physician to deal with his situation would have reacted badly together with his prescription inflicting him to have a severe coronary heart assault if his vital different had not intervened;
“We do not care what you took, what substances you used, none of that. We simply wish to do our job and maintain you alive. None of this info leaves the room. And moreover, no matter you is perhaps embarrassed to share, I assure we have heard one thing 100 instances worse.”
—31, New Jersey
Fellow medical doctors, nurses and different hospital employees, what are another “emergency” security ideas extra individuals ought to know? Feel free to inform us within the feedback under, or for those who desire to stay nameless, you need to use this Google form.
Note: Some solutions have been edited for size and/or readability.
