The Emergency Room (ER) in a hospital or other healthcare organization witnesses daily inflow of people either hurt or ill and in need of immediate medical attention. Though the ER is an area of high stress for physicians and other healthcare providers, everything has to be documented accurately both from the point of view of patient care and from that of hospital reimbursement. ER physicians utilize outsourced solutions such as that provided by a medical transcription company in the USA to prepare accurate transcripts of their audio recordings as well as handwritten notes related to patient care.
Now, ERs across the United States are seeing an increase in people admitted with injuries from e-scooters or electric scooters. A report in Washington Post reveals that in Salt Lake City there is a 161 percent increase in scooter injuries, from eight injuries overa month time span in2017 to21 in the same time period, in 2018.
According to Dr. Troy Madsen of the University of Utah Health’s Emergency Department,majority of the patients said that they were riding an e-scooter or rental scooter. He also added that more than 80 percent of the injuries that happened this year were between August 15 and September 15, the time when e-scooters were very popular and easily available. Madsen said that patients who came to the emergency room with injuries were in the age group of 20to 50 and they typically hurt themselves while trying to stop a fall. The hospital reported that majority of the injuries this year were dislocations, sprains, lacerations and fractures in the ankles, elbow, wrists, shoulders etc. There were some severe cases like head injuries and multiple patients told doctors that they were intoxicated and did not wear a helmet while riding the scooter. Reports are that these scooters malfunction or flip over on uneven surfaces causing injuries to the riders. E-scooter riders are also injured by colliding with pedestrians and being hit by cars.
An earlier story in Washington Post highlighted the fact how ER doctors were seeing as many as 10 severe scooter related injuries, while Santa Monica fire-fighters said they responded to 34 serious accidents involving e-scooters. A 24-year-old young man had even died in an accident involving e-scooter.
E-scooters are dockless, rent-by-the-minute electric scooters that can travel down sidewalks at 15 mph. These are provided with GPS trackers and wireless connectivity. These scooters can be rented through an app just as Uber and Lyft offer their taxis.Bird, Lime, and Spin are the most popular companies that manufacture e-scooters.
Sam Torbati, medical director of the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles told Los Angeles Times that people considered e-scooter safe as it looks like a recreational tool but it comes with a lot of potential for serious injuries.
As a medical transcription outsourcing company providing emergency room medical transcription, we share the concerns many Americans have about devices such as e-scooters. Technological advancements are indeed exciting, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of valuable human lives. Companies manufacturing such devices should study the safety issues carefully and incorporate the necessary safety measures that will ensure a safe ride to e-scooter users. A large portion of the responsibility also rests with the users, and they should take care to wear helmets to prevent head trauma from accidents. They should also not drive in an intoxicated condition and be alert to passing pedestrians and automotives. With appropriate care and caution from our part, we can make the best use of technology and enjoy the many benefits it offers.
