Forwarded for Omaha: TV Doctors are incompetent when dealing with epileptics

[elfs]

The Epilepsy Foundation of America reviewed scenes from 59 television episodes from "Grey's Anatomy," "House, M.D.," and "Private Practice" and the last five seasons of "ER" in which seizures were portrayed. The conclusion? TV doctors depict first aid practices that are incompetent and dangerous:

The study found that inappropriate practices, including holding the person down, trying to stop involuntary movements or putting something in the person's mouth, occurred in 25 cases, nearly 46 percent of the time. First aid management was shown appropriately in 17 seizures, or about 29 percent of the time. Appropriateness of first aid could not be determined in 15 incidents of seizures, or 25 percent.

I mean, come on, how hard can this be? If the victim is standing up when the seziure happens, guide him to the floor. Put a pillow or folded-up jacket under the head to keep him from hitting it on the ground and injuring his head, neck, or airway during involuntary movements. If you don't know the victim, dial 911 (or the appropriate code for your country) and clear the area around the victim to keep him and bystanders from interacting.

(HT to anonymous.)

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_candide_/]

Yup, I kinda knew that you were the epileptic in Elf's life. ^_^

As for everything that you say: Perfect. This is exactly the form of mythbusting I was looking for.


(On a personal note, Omaha, I regularly give my, "public service announcements," about mood disorders to people who spout misconceptions about antidepressants (hint: they're not happy pills) and also, more importantly, who don't seem to realize that when something horrible is happening to you, you're supposed to feel sad. And get moral+emotional support to heal. I always find giving reasons why the misconceptions are wrong busts them the most effectively. Hence my questions on epilepsy.)