Emergency Care Tips from the ER Staff

Emergency Care Tips from the ER Staff

When medical emergencies arise, a visit to the ER can be a life-saver. Unfortunately, getting medical care is not as easy as checking into the ER. However, depending on how well you know your way around the ER, you can significantly improve your experience and get the best possible care.

Unfortunately, few people know the secrets of getting the best out of a visit to the ER. The ER staff are among these few people, and they have the following tips to share.

In Dire Cases, Call for Help

It is only natural to give in to the flight response when you feel that your health and wellbeing is in danger. To this end, most people tend to drive themselves or have a friend or loved one drive them to the ER. However, while this may seem quicker, it is not always safe.

The best thing to do in urgent cases is to call for an ambulance. The ambulance will be dispatched immediately and get to you faster as other motorists will naturally get out of its way. Additionally, the ambulance comes equipped with medical facilities as well as medics, so you will receive potentially life-saving first aid services before you reach the ER.

Call from A Landline, If Possible

Unless you are exceptionally good at giving directions, ER staff members always recommend calling from a landline. A call made from a landline is easier to trace than one from a cell phone. This especially comes in handy when you are in a dire state or when your speech is incoherent. The responders will easily and quickly trace the call’s source and come directly to your location.

Understandably, you don’t always have to be close to a landline when you are faced with a medical emergency. Fortunately, technology has made it easier to locate cell phones using GPS, so you don’t have to worry.

Be Forthcoming with Your Symptoms and Medical History

Doctors in the ER will conduct tests to determine your ailment, but you can make their work much easier and improve diagnosis by being honest and detailed. Surprisingly, many patients often lie about their symptoms because of a wide range of issues including self-guilt and embarrassment.

As such, be honest about how you feel as your symptoms will be the basis of the diagnosis. Additionally, go into details about your medical history as it may be linked to your current illness and may also affect diagnosis and treatment. For instance, if you have diabetes but check in for an injury, your diabetes history is not entirely irrelevant as it may influence the medicine prescribed to you.

Do Not Feel Entitled

It is only natural to demand immediate and top-quality medical care since your health and wellbeing comes above everything else. To this end, most patients who visit the ER expect to get attended to immediately – and, when this does not happen, they tend to be rude to the ER staff as well as their fellow patients. Unsurprisingly, this only works against them as ER staff members too are human beings with emotions such as anger.

As such, be patient when you check into the ER and wait for your turn. If your condition is dire, then the nurses will take note and move you to the top of the waiting list. Remember, you are not the only one suffering, and the doctors and nurses have dedicated their careers to giving every patient the best care.

If You Are a Visitor, Do Not Get in The Way

It is not only patients who line up in ER corridors – often, they are accompanied by friends and loved ones who are concerned about their wellbeing. There is nothing wrong with being worried about a patient’s welfare, but this doesn’t give you the right to get in the way of ER staff.

As such, if you are a visitor, please remain in the reception area and wait until the doctors examine the patient. Standing in the doorway or peeping through the window will not improve the patient’s condition – to the contrary, it will obstruct the ER staff and delay health care. Additionally, don’t feel entitled or be rude to the staff members.

You Do Not have to visit the ER

It is understandable that you value your health above everything else. However, this doesn’t mean that you should treat every illness or accident as an emergency. As such, unless your condition is dire, please visit a local hospital to avoid straining ER resources as other people need them more – it is not surprising to see people suffering from cold or rash checking into the ER.

Choose Your ER Centers Wisely

Not all ER centers guarantee top-quality medical care. So, since you deserve the best, choose the ER you visit wisely to enjoy quick and optimal medical care. Bellaire ER offers the best emergency medical care thanks to its modern medical equipment and professional, friendly ER staff members.