Welcome to my blog about health, nursing, caring, kindness and positive change. Our world is full of such negative influences and bad choices, today is the day to make a positive change both physically and mentally in your life.
ERNursesCare is a blog incorporating my nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare field with my passion for helping others, I want it to encourage others with injury prevention, healthy living, hard hitting choices, hot topics and various ramblings from my unique sense of humor. Come along and enjoy your journey......
The picture says it....Drink, Drive...............Go To Jail! We all know this is true, so why do you still do it?
With the popularity of Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing services, plus the fact that nearly everyone has a smart phone now with social media access.............Get a ride home!! Driving buzzed, drunk or even high on prescription medications is not the right answer! Save a life this New Years, it might be your own!
Don't let me see you in the ER this weekend, I am working and you will get a lecture......just sayin!
Letting my oldest child drive a car has to be the single hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, as a mom it is gut wrenching to see your babies grow up and get behind the wheel. But as an ER nurse it is terrifying to know the statistics that are out there're concerning teen drivers. The what if's run thru your head all the time. So what can you do as a parent?
Get yourself informed and stay informed! Education is the key to the prevention of injury. Teach your teen how to respect the road, the car, the cell phone and other motorists on the road. No respect for those things.....no keys at my house. Keep the conversation going consistently and daily. Learning to drive is often considered a rite of passage for teenagers. But with the reward of being a new driver comes real risk. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, taking the lives of eight teens a day. CDC's Injury Center is committed to preventing teen crashes and related deaths and injuries.
According to a CDC study, Drivers aged 16 or 17 years involved in fatal crashes—United States, 2004–2008 [PDF - 1.92 MB], published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the annual number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes decreased by 36% from 2004 to 2008. The study states that graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, or teen driving laws, that exist in 49 states can be credited at least in part for the reduction in death rates. These laws limit driving under high risk conditions for newly-licensed drivers, such as driving at night and transporting other teen passengers.
However, since one out of every three teen deaths is the result of a motor vehicle crash, further reductions in teen crashes and related injuries are essential. CDC's new "Parents Are the Key" campaign and "Policy Impact: Teen Driver Safety" issue brief can help parents, policymakers, and others take steps to save young lives.
"Parents Are the Key" Campaign Launched Nationally
As a parent, you have the greatest influence over your teen's behavior. In fact, leading experts believe parents play a key role in preventing teen car crashes and deaths. Take the first step: Talk with your teen about staying safe behind the wheel. Then, keep the conversation going. You can steer your teen in the right direction, and "Parents Are the Key" has proven steps that can help.
CDC developed the "Parents Are the Key" campaign to help inform parents across the nation about the key role they can—and should—play in protecting their teen drivers. Individuals and groups can use the "Parents Are the Key" campaign materials to help parents learn about the most dangerous driving situations for their young driver and how to avoid them. All of the campaign materials—including a parent-teen safe driving agreement, posters, fact sheets, video, social media tools, implementation guide, and more—are available free of charge atwww.cdc.gov/parentsarethekey.
Policy Impact Brief Focuses on Teen Driver Safety
Policy Impact: Teen Driver Safety is the first in a new series of issue briefs highlighting key public health issues and important, science-based policy actions that can be taken to address them. In a simple, at-a-glance format, this new brief features critical information on the tremendous toll that crashes among teen drivers take, as well as CDC's recommendations for improving new driver safety. Highlights include
By making these new resources available, CDC aims to provide parents, policymakers, and others with proven information on how to help teen drivers live to their full potential.
Credit to: CDC works 24/7 saving lives and protecting people from health threats to have a more secure nation. A US federal agency, CDC helps make the healthy choice the easy choice by putting science and prevention into action. CDC works to help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
Summer time injuries that come into the Emergency Department can vary from very minor to horrible and traumatic. A mixture of the heat, late nights, holiday parties, alcohol, summer sports and the water/water sports can cause many different injuries in ages from very young all the way up to our elderly seniors. As an ER nurse I am amazed each summer with the trouble people can get themselves into. The poor choices they can make, the stupidness they can exhibit and how selfish parents can be sometimes when they choose to not watch their children. For pete's sake people use your brain some time, you do have one you know.
According to Colin Dircks, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at
Piedmont Hospital in Georgia, three of the most common summer injuries are
heat-related illness, head injuries and fireworks-related injuries.
“Heat cramps are common in the summer months and are caused by loss
of sodium and other electrolytes. We see heat exhaustion and as heat
illness progresses, you can develop nausea, headaches and even heat
stroke,” says Dr. Dircks. With heat stroke, “the body core temperature
elevates significantly – oftentimes more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.”
To avoid heat-related illnesses, Dr. Dircks recommends “staying hydrated and replacing lost sodium by drinking sports drinks.”
In addition to heat-related illness, head injuries also increase in
warm weather months. “The most common activity during the summer months
responsible for head injuries is bicycle accidents,” he says. “Water
sports-related injuries are also very common and are responsible for
almost 30,000 ER visits annually. It is very important if you have a
pool that children are under supervision at all times. Be sure to
minimize horse play in and around the pool.”
When it comes to fireworks-related injuries, “these are commonly
burns, foreign bodies, or lacerations, predominately in the hands,
fingers and eyes,” says Dr. Dircks.
And be cautious with so-called “safe” fireworks, especially around
children. “People think of sparklers as ‘safe’ fireworks and often give
them to kids,” says Dr. Dircks. “They burn at about 1,000 degrees
Fahrenheit and we see a lot of burns associated with them. They are
responsible for as many ER visits as firecrackers.”
Stay tuned tomorrow for those dangers of fireworks
All the people in this video sadly have something in common, can you figure it out?
Drinking and driving knows no boundaries , all ages are susceptible in all countries and all languages. Think you are safe at home, your kids are safe playing right in your back yard? Think again....
Take the keys!
Don't let your family or friends in the drivers seat with alcohol or drugs
on board, next time it might be you or your family that is the victim.
[PDF - 1.92 MB]
