There are countless of websites out there that give medical advice, some good, some not so good. If you type in something like sore throat, you’ll come up with thousands of hits. This can often be confusing, as most are simply advertisments. Some of the other sites, are written by doctors, for doctors and are hard to understand. They cite all kinds of statistics and clinical studies, and don’t really talk about what to do in a real world setting. Even worse, there are many sites that simply regurgitate what other authoritative sites have written, often misinterpreting valuable information and instructions.

Recently, my son woke up crying, and I had to take him to the emergency room for what was in my view, was a serious condition. After a four hour visit, we were told it 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 early morning hours of the morning, if I really had to go to the emergency room. 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 involved, 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 articles are all written my medical doctors and physician assistants, who actually are employed in busy emergency departments. The information is straightforward and concise. I’ve found everything from hangnails to abdominal pain. They even have methods for setting dislocated fingers and how to do basic suturing, should you be far away from a real ER.