First Aid News - April 2007

Don't Drive to Hospital if You Need an Ambulance
There have been calls for people who are emergency cases to rely on an ambulance to get to to hospital instead of trying to drive there under their own steam. Many ambulances on their way to emergencies find that they have passed the patient driving to hospital in the opposite direction.

If your condition is serious enough to need urgent emergency treatment, driving to hospital could be a big mistake. Cases such as chest pains, broken bones, severe bleeding and asthma attacks may prove too much for a patient to be able to drive. You could collapse at the wheel and cause an accident. It will take the paramedics some time to work out that your lack of consciousness is not due to injuries sustained in the collision.

Unnecessary movements brought upon by driving can worsen your condition. If you run into problems on your journey, will you be able to summon help to the precise spot where you have had to stop? Will you be found in time?

Only as a last resort should you try to get to hospital on your own. Getting there by ambulance will mean that you have someone with you on the way to monitor your condition and to reassure you as to what is happening. Even taking along a passenger msy not be good practice. Are they knowledgeable and calm enough to cope with a worsening of your condition en route?

When calling for emergency help, it is advisable to discuss your condition with the receptionist who will advise you about what you should do. Almost invariably, the advice will be to stay put.