With fall comes cooler temperature, football games, and other fun outdoor activities. But with all the fun, there are also more health-related issues with cooler temperatures, games, and parties. Our Triage Nurses have documented that the flu has already broken in certain parts of the USA, and food poisoning and allergies are starting to rise. Read these tips from our Medical Director and CIO, Dr. Ravi Raheja, to share with your patients and staff on staying healthy during games and winter breaks. These tips can also be used by your office triage nurses as they answer patient phone calls and offer advice.
Alcohol Consumption
Every year there are over 10,000 alcohol-related deaths in the United States.
It only takes 2 drinks for a smaller person and 3 for a larger person to be significantly impaired This will put your employee at or above the legal limit to drive. Always remind them to Uber, Lyft or taxi their way home if they do not have a designated driver.
In addition, vehicle-related incidents, there are even more injuries due to alcohol lowering the inhibitions of people. People under the influence are more likely to engage in activities they would never do sober. Some could be harmless fun, but others can have serious consequences.
Most ER and Trauma doctors are expecting busy nights during big game weekends due to heavy drinking usually associated with the spirit of game day. According to Dr. Rose, a surgeon at Jacksonville Baptist Hospital, “Major football games are one of the busiest nights in the ER.”
Our triage nurses also see an increase in phone calls during both games and holidays due to injuries.
Sunscreen
With the cooler temperatures and overcast skies, people often think that sunscreen is not needed, but that is not true.
Recommend your patients to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before they leave the house and reapply every 2 hours while they are outside. No matter what the weather is, a person can still damage their skin and get a sunburn. Even when the sun is behind the clouds, the UV rays are able to pass through. Along with sunscreen a wide brim hat and sunglasses can help protect from dangerous UV rays as well.
Food Safety
Tailgating can be a fun way to spend the day, but people often feel pressured to eat something with questionable quality. Remind patients to not be afraid to say “no thank you” if they are unsure how the food was prepared or how long it had been sitting out. Food is generally okay sitting out for 2 hours. This does not apply to chips and other foods that do not need to be kept at a certain temperature. If a perishable food is sitting out longer than 2 hours it is better to toss it than risk getting sick.
Want to help your patients stay healthy and prevent unnecessary ER visits? Make sure you provide 24/7 access to a triage nurse. Your office nurses can triage patients and document the calls easily during the day using the MyTriageChecklist platform. TriageLogic also offers an outsources nurse triage service that can customize doctor orders to ensure seamless patient care when your office is not available to answer patient calls. Contact us today to learn more.
