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5 things emergency doctor would ‘never do’ including hike in flip-flops
A doctor working in the emergency department has shared some things he would ‘never do’ because they cause so many accidents and illnesses.
Many medical emergencies could be easily avoided if patients took a little extra caution when doing certain things like hiking or eating leftover food.
5 things emergency doctor would ‘never do’
“These are five things I would never do having worked in the emergency department as a doctor,” Arthur, an F2 NHS doctor, said on TikTok.
These are common injuries and illnesses he regularly sees while working in a hospital that are self-inflicted.
1. Hike in flip flops
The first thing the medical professional would never do is go hiking in flip-flops, or “any kind of inappropriate footwear”. He explained that walking up steep hills or mountains in sandals is very likely to cause an open ankle fracture and iterated: “Just don’t do it!”
2. Motorbike without appropriate equipment
Another thing he would not do is ride a motorbike without all the appropriate equipment including a helmet, pads and leathers. Not wearing this safety clothing could result in serious injuries including broken bones, friction wounds, head injuries and burns.
3. Do party drugs
Next up, the doctor said he would never do any party drugs because “you don’t know what’s in them” and they have “awful side effects” such as arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), heart attacks and even death. The best way to be safe is just to avoid them completely.
4. Eat incorrectly stored food
Another thing he said it’s important to never do is eat leftover food which hasn’t been stored in the fridge correctly. Food that has been left out for hours can cause serious food poisoning including campylobacteriosis, salmonella and e-coli.
5. Have surgeries abroad
Finally, he would never go abroad to have surgeries, particularly for aesthetic reasons, as many of the surgeons aren’t properly qualified or do not offer the appropriate aftercare, causing many issues including blood clots and infections.
Emergency room statistics
According to the latest National Center for Health Statistics report from 2021, there were 139.8 million emergency room visits in the US in the entire year. Of them, 40 million were due to injuries.
Only 18.3 million of them required hospital admission and just 2.8 million resulted in admission to a critical care unit. That means in the majority of emergency room visits, the patient was sent home.
The 10 most common reasons for ER visits were:
- Stomach and abdominal pain, cramps and spasms
- Chest pain and related symptoms
- Shortness of breath
- Cough
- Fever
- Headache, pain in head
- Pain, not referable to a specific body system
- Back symptoms
- Vomiting
- Problems relating to psychological and mental disorders
Arthur is an F2 NHS doctor working in Nottinghamshire, currently completing training in the emergency department.
