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Don’t meet us by accident this Christmas

Brisbane’s busiest Emergency Department is urging Queenslanders to take extra care this festive season as frontline health workers brace for an influx of patients.

The Prince Charles Hospital’s Director of Emergency Dr Colin Myers said no one wants to spend their holidays in hospital, but things can go badly quickly if you don’t play responsibly.

“It is not just the adults who may end up needing our care. We have kids of all ages coming into our ED with broken bones, cuts and sprains after an unfortunate run on bikes, skateboards and scooters,” Dr Myers said.

“In fact, there were almost 50 presentations with fracture and minor soft tissue injuries on Christmas Day last year. Trampoline incidents in particular are on the increase. They’re a popular present for the kids but it’s very easy to break a limb if you have a bad fall.

“Christmas Day last year we even had a Mum end up with a broken leg after attempting to do a flip on a tramp—so bounce responsibly.

“The same goes for adults and their new toys. A mix of alcohol, inexperience and power tools is unlikely to end well. We had a patient who received a new electric planer for Christmas and turned it on and felt the blade to see if it was working and cut the tips of his fingers off.”

Last Christmas Day ED staff at TPCH treated 201 people while Boxing Day was even busier with 262 patients and in the lead up to New Year’s Day, staff treated almost 1500 patients.

“Slipping into holiday mode or having a momentary lapse in concentration is all it takes to end up in an ED, whether this is from excessive alcohol consumption or leaving the Christmas chook out too long,” Dr Myers said.

“We don’t want to be party poopers, but we do encourage people to drink responsibly and look out for their mates. Let’s make sure your New Year kicks off the right way, rather than with us. Please take care and don’t meet us by accident.”

Australian Red Cross Blood Service spokesperson Ms Meg Magriplis said many accidents and serious trauma incidents occur over the Christmas period, so having a healthy supply of blood products available for Emergency Departments is absolutely vital.

“Queensland hospitals needs 5,200 donations every week to meet patient demand and the Blood Service needs help to combat the expected drop-off in donations over the festive season,” Ms Magriplis said.

“We expect to need over 37,000 individual donations of blood this year.

“This Christmas we encourage everyone who is eligible to roll up their sleeves and give blood at this critical time of year, and from all of us on the frontline, have a safe and happy holiday.”

2017-12-20T01:35:51+10:0018 December 2017|
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