Are you surprised about these instructions from an ER doc?

[Scaramedic]

Good God, I had forgotten how long some of Ace's post were. :shock:

[EMSJunkies]

Even with what this doctor wrote, the poeple in the city I work in wouldnt follow it anyway. I work in a inner-city area and our hospital tends to be their regular doctors office. Out of the 11 calls I had today in a 12 hour period, 9 of them could of either stayed home or gone to a regular doctors office. I had a patient whos leg hurt after cramping up, a 3 y/o kid who had a "fever" of 99.2, a guy who was having abdominal pain from his hernia that he has had for 6 months and refuses to get repaired & a lady who wanted to go to the ED to get help quitting smoking (who by the way ws smoking when we arrived). Maybe I need to leave the inner-city and move to the burbs....

[captainstandup]

Two to three week waits to see a primary care MD and insurance with idiosyncracies that I couldn't begin to explain have placed me among those that use the ER as a primary MD. The copay is lower, lab, x-ray, and other associated support services are instantly available and I don't have to go to three or four places to have different tests done. The physicians are competent and professional. The downside is I am sometimes 10th in line behind mostly illegal mexicans.

[firedoc5]

To put it bluntly, we live in a society that people tend to use an ER as a free clinic. And I don't want to stereo-type any one group of people, but those on public aid tend to do just that. I can't understand a doc giving that kind of advice though. And he's probably one that might complain about all the non-emergency cases that seem to back things up even more.

[Richard B the EMT]

There are too many EDs in NYC to know where the doctor who wrote the original NY Times article works (worked?).

However, with the comment on Italians? I have observed many different nationalities, and ethnic groups doing the "entourage" thing, it has nobody NOT doing it. Faces and accents are different, but the song is still the same.

And now,

[marq=left:3e816399cd]Heed the T-shirt![/marq:3e816399cd]

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers!