Okay, you ready? I'm ready. So, it's really hot.
We talked about that last time. So hot. DC is
a swamp. And last summer, we spent our summer
talking about the Supreme Court. I learned so
much last summer about the Supreme Court. So
much. This summer, however, we're going to shift
from my area of expertise, which is forensic
psychiatry, medicine, and the law. to Alicia's
area of expertise, pediatric emergency medicine.
So instead of covering constitutional crises,
this summer, we're going to cover trampoline
crises, which as a pediatrician feels on brandt.
So welcome back to the rolling forward podcast.
I'm Dr. Stephanie Rolin. And I'm Dr. Alicia Rolin.
I'm a forensic psychiatrist. And I'm a pediatric
emergency physician. We're sisters, physicians,
researchers, and podcasters. And this summer,
we're launching a special series called Summer
School, Lessons from the Pediatric Emergency
Room. This sounds a lot less fun than regular
summer vacation. But hopefully a little more
useful. Before we dive in. I want to be clear
that as a kid, summer was my absolute favorite.
Me too. It's camps, it's swimming pools, it's
popsicles. It's bike riding until your mom screams
that it's time to come home. This is a very 1990s
answer, but I love it. You can tell when I was
born. I actually do know that. But that's also
why we're doing this series because summer is
wonderful. But it's also the time of year when
kids spend more time outside, more time being
active, and more time. testing the laws of physics.
And because kids are spending more time swimming,
biking, playing sports, riding scooters, jumping
on trampolines, and generally just being kids,
every summer, emergency departments see predictable
increases in many of the injuries that we're
going to talk about in our summer school. And
here's why that matters. Between May and August,
nearly half of all children's injury -related
emergency department visits occur. Nearly half?
That feels like so many. This is the danger zone.
Summer is wonderful, but it's also what many
pediatricians call trauma season. The good news
for parents out there who might be worried, like
I am, is that many of these risks are predictable
and many of the most serious injuries are preventable.
In fact, some estimates suggest that more than
90 % of childhood injuries can be prevented with
really simple precautions. Which is really encouraging.
So in our summer school, the plan is that every
week we are going to tackle a different summer
safety topic. Not because we want to scare anyone,
but because every summer I see these same preventable
injuries and illnesses over and over again. And
this matter is because unintentional injuries
are the leading cause of death among children
and adolescents in the United States. Really?
Really. Not cancer, not infections, injuries.
Things like drownings, car accidents. Firearm
injuries, suffocation, poisonings, falls. Which
is probably not what most parents would guess.
It's not. But like we said, the good news is
that many of these injuries are preventable.
Which is why we're doing this series. Isn't it
great? We're going to tell you the risks, but
we're also going to give you some tips on how
to prevent that. And before we get into the meat
of this season, I think it's important for us
to acknowledge something. Some of these topics
are going to be heavier than others. Definitely.
We're going to talk about drowning. We'll talk
about firearms. We'll talk about serious injuries
and things that keep me up at night as a pediatrician.
And if a particular topic feels too close to
home for you, it's completely okay to skip that
episode. Absolutely. Our goal is to give families
information they can use because most of these
injuries are preventable. So take what is helpful,
skip what isn't, and we'll see you for the next
lesson. All right. So it sounds like this summer
school will be a refreshing take on injuries
in order to help families stay informed and enjoy
summer while avoiding a trip to the emergency
department. That's the plan. We're not going
to spend our time talking about rare zebras,
things that you'll never encounter. We're going
to talk about things that I actually see and
the lessons families can take away from them.
I'm ready to sign up for a summer school that's
going to offer practical advice and not fear.
Our goal is not to tell you as parents to keep
your kids inside all summer long. Which would
be terrible. Terrible would be terrible. For
you and for them. For all of us. Our goal is
to help you break down which risks matters, which
risks don't, and what simple steps can make a
really meaningful difference. So join us this
summer for summer schools. Lesson from the pediatric
ER. Because summer should create beautiful family
memories and not of the emergency department
waiting room. Get your books, get your pencils,
and we'll see you in class. ATVs, scooters, sunshine
and splashes A scraped knee, a swallowed beat,
a tumble that happens fast We're here with the
stories, the science And a few preventable disasters
Rolling forward! Doctors, sisters, science facts
Summer school Lessons from the pediatric ER A
few preventable disasters Can tear a day apart