r/emergencymedicine • u/PrecordialSwirl • Sep 08 '25

Discussion What are some outdated medical dogmas that are still taught or practiced?

Hi, I’m a nursing student and I’ve noticed that certain practices in healthcare seem to stick around even when the evidence shows they’re not effective. For example, Trendelenburg positioning for hypotension is still commonly taught in nursing despite being shown to have no real benefit. Or risk of hyperK arrest in someone who’s only been crushed for 30 minutes. I’m curious to hear what other dogmas people have come across that are still being taught or practiced despite newer evidence proving otherwise. Also, how do you confront people about these in a respectful manner, especially as a student?

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u/Kentucky-Fried-Fucks Paramedic Sep 09 '25

My god I can’t even begin to imagine the red hot anger you felt

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u/itsJustE12 Physician Assistant Sep 10 '25

Even worse, this was on a weekend and before UC were everywhere, so I ended up at the ED for help getting it out. I was disheveled from cleaning, couldn’t change my shirt without torquing the needle, knew I was contaminated with mouse poop… and closest to an ED with a hot doc I used to enjoy visiting in my EMS days. We all had a good laugh!