UK HealthCast: How to Avoid a Trip to the Emergency Room

UK HealthCast is a podcast series featuring interviews with UK HealthCare experts on a variety of health-related topics.

No one wants to find themselves in the emergency room, especially for injuries that could have been prevented. Recently, the New York Times highlighted some of the everyday causes that often send people to the ER.

UK HealthCare’s Dr. Blake Davidson, an emergency medicine specialist, and Dr. Tama Thé, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, joined UK HealthCast to dig deeper into preventable injuries and how to avoid them.

Listen to Dr. Davidson and Dr. Thé’s conversation below or continue reading for key takeaways.

Importance of safe sleep for children

Dr. Thé emphasized one of the most critical ways to prevent avoidable deaths in children: safe sleep practices. 

While many parents may hear about bonding through co-sleeping, the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends following the “ABCs” of safe sleep. Babies should:

• Sleep alone
• on their back
• and in their own crib

“The crib should be boring,” Dr. Thé said. “There's no blankets, no pillows, no bumper pads, no stuffed animals or toys. They should be on their back. And it is okay to have them in your room, but they should not be in your bed. If they are in your bed, it increases the risk of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, by 2.7 to 10 times.”

In addition to safe sleep, buckling kids into proper car seats remains a vital safety measure.

Common reasons for ER visits as an adult

Dr. Davidson sees a different but equally preventable pattern of injuries. Seasonal activities like spring cleaning and yard work often lead to emergency visits. Ladder accidents top his list of avoidable injuries: many happen when people climb ladders alone, stand on unsafe steps or try to reach awkward places.

“Anytime that you're going to be on an elevated surface, you probably want to be around someone else to be able to help you,” Dr. Davidson said. “ … There are many injuries that I see from those where people try and do something on their own. They're in an awkward position, they fall off the ladder and end up with a bad spinal injury for the rest of their life.”

Eye injuries are another common danger during outdoor work. While weed eating, mowing, or using power tools, wearing eye protection is crucial to avoid debris and projectiles that can cause serious harm.

Additionally, with warmer weather comes more outdoor activity and exertion. Dr. Davidson stressed the importance of staying hydrated, taking breaks, and having a partner present when doing heavy lifting or challenging tasks. Overdoing it after a sedentary winter can easily lead to strains, falls or heat-related illnesses.

“Have someone there not only to help you be able to complete the project, but if something does go wrong that they can help get you out of this situation and be able to call an ambulance or get you to the hospital if needed,” Dr. Davidson said.

Learning from – and avoiding – mistakes

Both doctors agreed that while they are prepared to treat injuries, their most meaningful work is educating patients on how to avoid repeat incidents. Dr. Davidson shared that most people are receptive to advice after an injury and appreciate learning how to prevent future harm.

For parents of active children, Dr. Thé recommends setting clear safety boundaries: for example, children should only swim if they are confident swimmers, and they should be supervised closely around machinery like lawnmowers or weed whackers. While it’s important for kids to explore and take risks, proper guardrails make all the difference.

“I want kids to go out there and have adventures and break their arms and jump on trampolines,” Dr. Thé said. “We can fix all of that.”

Both doctors urged extreme caution around fireworks. Dr. Thé described Independence Day as “the Super Bowl of preventable injuries,” warning about the dangers of mishandling fireworks and the respiratory risks from smoke, especially for those with asthma.

Dr. Davidson emphasized using safety measures such as keeping buckets of water nearby, never holding fireworks in your hands, and staying upwind of smoke to avoid breathing difficulties.