Emergency Treatment

You will likely be discharged with a detailed set of written instructions. These instructions can include basic information about a problem, recommendations of things to avoid doing or eating and advice about when to seek more care. It will be up to you to tell your primary care doctor that you were in the emergency room.

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm

An administrative registration clerk will ask for personal details and your insurance information. After you are checked in, a triage nurse will examine you to figure out how soon you need care. Then you will be taken either to the waiting area or to a treatment area. While you wait, tell the triage nurse if you begin to feel worse (or better).

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm

Once you move to the treatment area, you will be seen by the primary emergency department nurse, who has training to handle many emergency situations. You may also see a charge nurse, who is responsible for the flow of nursing care. At some point, you will probably see an attending physician, a general doctor who works in the emergency room. She may bring in a specialist physician who has extra training in the function of a specific body part or system.

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm

You may also receive care from medical students and/or doctors-in-training known as resident physicians and from various kinds of medical assistants and technicians.

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm

Most of the questions you might have can usually be answered by more than one person. The primary nurse is usually the easiest to talk to. He can discuss your treatment plan with you, as well as help you learn about your problem or symptoms. It is also fine to ask your doctor.

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm

Go to an emergency room when you have a medical emergency. The American College of Emergency Physicians recommends that anyone with any of the following symptoms go to an emergency room:

Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
Unusual abdominal pain
Fainting, dizziness, weakness
Changes in vision
Confusion or changes in mental state
Sudden or severe pain
Uncontrolled bleeding
Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea
Coughing or vomiting blood
Suicidal feelings
Trouble speaking

For more about emergency medicine, see our article: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/preparedpatient/Vol4/Prepared-Patient-Vol4-Issue1.cfm