The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission tells us we can expect a spike in emergency room visits on or around the Independence Day holiday next week. If you’ve done a good job of alerting your community to the fact that many ED-bound patients could be treated just as well (not to mention faster and less expensively) in your urgent care center, that means you can expect to see more traffic, too. Make sure your holiday hours are posted prominently inside and outside your location, as well as on your website, so patients know when they can drop in and when they really do need to go to the hospital. In addition, prepare yourself and staff by being aware of the most common presentations associated with “celebrating” the most patriotic of days:
- Firework-related (including firecrackers and sparklers; the most common injuries are burns to the hands and fingers, followed by other body parts, but debris in the eyes is also a common presenting complaint)
- Heat stroke
- Severe sunburn
- Gastrointestinal complaints (just think about that usually delicious potato salad that’s been sitting in the sun on the picnic table all afternoon, or undercooked burgers and ribs)
- Dehydration