6 things ER doctors wish you’d avoid

Jancee Dunn, the Well columnist for The New York Times, recently shared tips to help keep you out of the hospital, with contributions from Ryan LaFollette, MD, an emergency medicine doctor at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine.

Tips include never put your feet on the dashboard when riding as a passenger in a vehicle. Airbags deploy in less than one second, leaving a person no time to move their legs. That can lead to leg fractures and hip dislocations.

Wear protective eyewear, such as a simple pair of goggles, when doing yardwork or woodwork. That's to avoid injuries if projectiles come toward the face. Along with that, never mow the lawn in open-toed shoes. LaFollette said he has seen what happens when people cut grass in flip-flops. If you slip, he said, you could be looking at an amputation. Instead, he said, wear shoes with a closed toe.

Watch out for the front burner of a stove when cooking. Young children can grab a pot handle and pull it over onto them, leading to scald burns

Don’t take another person’s prescription medication. It’s common for people to lend or borrow leftover antibiotics and prescription allergy medication, but LaFollette cautioned that you and another person do not have the same medical profile. Reactions could vary.

Read all the things ER doctors wish you'd avoid.

Featured image at top: iStock/Carl Lokko.