48 Life Pro Tips to be Emergency Free! by Paul Weinberg

The tales from my time in the ER I told to my kids were cautionary tales to teach them how to be safe, to be aware. Many of the tips were basic, like wear shoes to avoid foot injury or wear gloves when handling broken glass.

Some were funny and weird, others too disturbing for their young minds. Some even I could not fully absorb, like never shake a baby, which I learned from treating a baby who had been shaken.

This is a list of things I learned that I take personally from my ED life and explained to the kids, who may or may not have taken them seriously. (Visit my website erdoctips.com for a more detailed explanation of each.)

When it comes to any medical concern, nothing I write below should delay or prevent you from seeking the advice of your medical professional, and always seek help immediately for any emergency.

1. Empty your bladder prior to driving

2. Always wear a seatbelt

3. Do not speed or use the drug speed

4. Meth – Not once!

5. Marijuana is OK for occasional use

6. Do not drink to excess

7. Caution when taking out the trash

8. Use a bagel cutter

9. Avoid carbs (carbohydrates). Diet matters!

10. Keep immunizations up-to-date

11. Avoid getting caught up in the medical system – Try and accept minor complaints

12. Never touch your face without washing your hands first

13. No trampoline play

14. Great concern of pools and children

15. Wear closed-in footwear when bicycle riding

16. Use it or lose it (i.e. keep exercising)

17. Nothing good happens after 2 a.m. – Sometimes even as early as 11 p.m.

18. Avoid large gatherings

19. Sunscreen is your friend – Use it

20. Sunglasses double as eye protectors

21. Male stubbornness can be deadly

22. Do not dive – And never head first

23. Pay attention to outcomes when you are having “too much fun” (particularly under age 30)

24. Do not punch a wall or a window

25. Firearms can be perilous – But you already knew that

26. Membership in a local gang is not good for longevity

27. Continue to take your high blood pressure medicine

28. “I was feeling so well I stopped taking my insulin”

29. Avoid ingesting gasoline when siphoning gasoline

30. Really, never shake a baby

31. Tattoos sag with disease and age and weight loss

32. Medical language skills

33. Wound care

34. Protect hands and feet from injury – Beware of glass

35. Oleander, to be enjoyed at a distance

36. Caution around wood chippers, blenders, axes

37. Responsibility to show up and work

38. Keep thinking – No panicking

39. Mute commercials

40. “Epistaxis Management” aka Nosebleed

41. A special hospital smell brought home by parents

42. Be careful with plastic bags and tabs around children

43. Teased about hand hygiene by non-medical buddies

44. Learn Greek and Latin roots

45. Use of field sobriety tests for safety!

46. Zit management – Don’t needle ‘em or squeeze them too hard

47. Understand the difference between risk and dread

48. Rarely use the internet to diagnosis your medical condition

* This content is based entirely on my personal and professional views from my 30-year career as a clinical Emergency Medicine doctor and not intended to treat or diagnose anyone for anything. The content is intended to educate and inspire the reader to seek more information from their doctor or medical professional.