ER doctors reveal the injuries they see most often
Simple prevention strategies can prevent injuries, say UCI Health physicians
IN THE NEWS: Some of the most common injuries seen in the emergency room are easily preventable.
Dr. Ryan Gibney and Dr. Graham Stephenson, both emergency medicine physicians at UCI Health, recently spoke with Yahoo Health about risky habits that can be prevented by smart, simple choices. According to Gibney:
"Most things that land someone in the emergency department happen when they're just going about everyday life. We tend to go into autopilot and small lapses in attention can lead to injury."
Stephenson says one important way to prevent injuries requiring ER care is to stop riding bikes and scooters without a helmet.
"I see e-bike accidents every day in the emergency department, often multiple times per day."
According to Gibney, the injuries “closely resemble motorcycle injuries rather than bicycle injuries."
Stephenson notes that preventing such injury is simple:
“If you ride anything with wheels, you have to wear a helmet.”
Gibney is the medical director of the UCI Health — Irvine emergency department and an assistant professor at UC Irvine School of Medicine.
Stephenson is the medical director of UCI Health — Irvine urgent care and an assistant professor at UC Irvine School of Medicine.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,513-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, its newest facility, UCI Health — Irvine Rehabilitation Hospital, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health system, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.