There are loads of websites out there that give medical advice. If you search for something like fever, you’ll literally come up with hundred of thousands of hits. This can often be overwhelming. Some of the other sites, are written exclusively for medical professionals. They cite all kinds of clinical trials and studies, and don’t really talk about how to treat the patient should you need to. Even worse, there are many sites that simply copy what other authoritative sites have written, often misinterpreting valuable information.

Recently, my son woke up with a bloody nose that wouldn’t stop, and I had to take him to the emergency room for what was in my view, was a serious condition. After a 3 hour visit, they told us there was nothing to worry about, and that it would go away soon.

I started wondering if there was a website that could help me decide in the wee hours of the morning, if I really had to go to the hospital. A general reference for simple problems, that could help me make simple decisions and help me decide what was serious, and what I could handle at home. Nothing too difficult, just some common sense tips. Here’s what I found:

I stumbled across this free site called OnlineFirstAid.org that is written by emergency doctors, in plain English. It’s super easy to understand and they call it “practical first aid for everyone”. The authors really try to give you enough quality information to help you decide whether you really need to go to the ER or not. Also, they give you easy to follow, step by step instructions for hands on first aid techniques.

The authors are said to work in busy emergency departments, in real hospitals, so the information they provide is straightforward and concise. I guess they’re used to explaining difficult things, to regular people. They cover everything from kidney stones to athlete’s foot. They even have articles on setting dislocated fingers and basic field laceration repair, should you be far away from a real ER.

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