Title: ER Adventures in Rural America
Author: Ken Jones Jr. MD
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-9845-8326-0
Pages: 146
Genre: Medical
Reviewed by: Jason Lulos
Pacific Book Review
We’ve all probably been to the ER or have taken a loved one there at some point in our lives. It can be a frightening experience since most of us aren’t medical professionals and necessarily rely on Google and the Internet for medical expertise. With limited knowledge regarding signs and symptoms of major health events such as a heart attack, stroke, internal injuries, etc., we are left with questions.
In ER Adventures in Rural America, Dr. Jones answers many of those questions and more. He provides sage advice and potential life saving tips about health emergencies he’s learned during his career in a rural ER. It is a brief volume but it’s truly thorough and informative. This invaluable medical resource is also a memoir including real case studies ranging from tragic to triumphant, and sometimes even humorous.
Dr. Jones spent the first part of his career in bariatric surgery. At age 69, he reluctantly and humbly made the choice to move to the ER. His experiences therein fill the pages of this book. He notes that this memoir is a fine starting point but not a comprehensive guide to hospitalization. Why? Because medicine is an ever-evolving science. Hence his lesson is “never stop learning” and encourages us all to stay up on CPR and basic life-saving skills. If I had to sum up the book in one statement, I’d say it is an invaluable beginning guide of, as Dr. Jones says, “a little basic medical knowledge mixed with common sense,” some potentially life-saving.
There’s so much interesting information here that it’s hard to believe the book is so short. He notes that it wasn’t until 1979 that Emergency Room medicine became recognized as a medical specialty. Having lived through the transformation of the ER, Dr. Jones has the comprehensive perspective to discuss its evolution. He gives the reader advice on which emergency rooms to go from big city to rural and which symptoms might suggest a major health problem.
Throughout the book, Dr. Jones uses actual case studies he’s dealt with: everything from children to the elderly to drug addicts. He has interesting analyses on medicinal pros and cons. For instance, while there are benefits to antibiotics, blood thinners, and CT scans, there are problems with over-prescribing and the side effects of medicines and X-rays. He also has eye-opening insights about atrial fibrillation (A-fib), mealtime syncope (passing out), and the potential life-saving properties of simply staying hydrated. Like the author says, some of this “ain’t rocket science.” Dr. Jones also adds his insights about how we might proceed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The stories and analyses Dr. Jones provides are designed to give us sound advice on real life symptoms and health situations. He writes in a readable, genuine, conversational tone, and there is glossary to fill in the knowledge gaps. This memoir is a fascinating look at the evolution of the ER and an invaluable medical resource that anyone will find accessible and downright fun and interesting to read. For these reasons, I highly recommend this book to everyone.
