Tips from an Emergency Room physician on how to speed up
your treatment …
Always have a wallet card that lists your health history.
Often, during the panic of an ER visit, patients are either physically unable
to relate it or too anxious to remember details. Wallet cards should contain
the following data-
Name, address, date
of birth, insurance information.
Next of kin, who to
contact in case of emergency.
Past health
conditions, since birth (even childhood asthma).
Past surgeries, since
birth.
All medications,
including recent short term treatments.
Allergies.
Pre-treating your symptoms can shave hours off your ER
visit. Treatments might include …
Acetaminophen (ie:
Tylenol) for fever.
Gravol for nausea
and/or vomiting.
Diphenhydramine (DPH)
antihistamine for allergic reaction.
Bring in all your assistive devices, whether they be
corrective eyeglasses, a special brace to walk, or a hearing aid to hear. It
allows doctors to compare your function in the ER to your baseline function at
home.
Stick to the real emergency. Trying to also sneak in a
reassessment of a chronic condition can distract and delay an ER doc from
recognizing the acute emergency condition that you actually came to the
hospital to have treated.
From the “Huffington Post”
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