
First10EM - April 17, 2016
“Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
” by Laurence Gonzales is a book about life and death. It explores disasters – at the top of mountains, in the middle the ocean, in the most remote wilderness – and examines why some people live while others die. Gonzales concludes with book with some advice designed to help readers survive. As I read his advice, I was struck by how applicable it is to the practice of emergency medicine.
These are his survival lessons, adapted for the ED:
- Take the training that’s available
- Perceive, believe, then act
- Avoid impulse behavior; don’t hurry
- Know your stuff
- Get the information
- Commune with the dead
- Be humble
- When in doubt, bail out
- You have to have a positive mental attitude"