Lessons from the ER: Steps we can all take to #SaveOneBed

From 2002 until 2015 I practiced emergency medicine. One phenomenon I noticed is that on holidays like Thanksgiving or on the day of the big game the ER would be empty. You would think that emergencies are emergencies and they don’t take holidays off, but it turns out that they do. In fact different studies suggest that up to 30% of ER visits are not needed and even more avoidable if people would take better care of their health. A different study showed that up to 30% of deaths in America are avoidable and are “lifestyle” based. During this time of pandemic and social isolation, the need to prevent unnecessary brick and mortar clinic visits are essential. We can all play our part to #saveonebed.

Some ways to avoid common ER visits:

• Take your medications and be careful when you take them. For example, with diabetes we can avoid excessively high or low glucose with appropriate medication dosing and by carefully preventing the wrong dose. 
• Store your medication carefully: Close to 80,000 ER visits are caused by pediatric overdoses on medications each year. With kids stuck at home we need to be extra safe.
• Avoid activities that increase your risk for “tipping out of control” or that put you at risk. In the ER I used to see tons of cases of congestive heart failure after the Super Bowl as people drank a bit too much and ate too much salty food. Now is the time to really take care of your health. Avoid driving unless you have to, if you take a bike out wear a helmet, and moderate your alcohol use. These are all the things you have been told to do for decades but there has never been a time where it has mattered more. Now is not the time to learn nunchucks or to borrow a neighbor’s chainsaw to cut down that tree you always wanted to cut. 
• Stay at Home: Some of us have been home for 3-4 weeks. Many will start thinking that “enough is enough” and that one meet up with one other person can’t hurt. Please remember that people can be infectious for up to 14 days with no symptoms. Now is the time to double down on preventing the disease. Avoid social contact if you can and wash your hands frequently. We all count on you.

Let’s all work together to be safe and to #SaveOneBed