Being in a crowded house can up injury risk

Photo: BC Injury Prevention & Research

Can staying home put you at greater risk of a trip to the hospital or emergency room?

Dr. Ian Pike, a PhD researcher at the BC Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Unit tells Castanet that 40 per cent of injuries that require hospitalization happen in the home. Now that many people are working from home and children aren't going to school, the potential for injuries in the home is much higher.

"Being in a crowded house can represent a higher risk of injury."

With many parents working from home, trying to teach, feed and care for their children stress levels in the home could also be on the rise.

Dr. Pike says the number of cleaning products in the home may be up, so efforts to safely store cleaning supplies and medications should be made. He added that if people need to go to hospital, they should go.

"Health care is not something to avoid when you're injured. If a child or anybody is injured and they need to go to hospital, they should go. Our hospitals are safe."  

Dr. Pike says, "hospital and emergency rooms have modified their procedures and are very safe right now."

In fact, Dr. Pike says, "I know that emergency rooms are less busy than normal right now. So if you do need medical treatment you could be in and out in a much shorter amount of time."

He says if you're unsure if you need medical care, call 811, talk to your family physician or go to a walk-in clinic.

Dr. Pike admits there is a small chance that a person visiting a hospital could catch COVID-19, but health care officials don't want people avoiding hospitals because of a "remote" possibility.