Surviving the Overcrowded Emergency Room
As reported in a recent article by Parade magazine, surviving the Emergency Room (ER) has become increasingly difficult given the sheer numbers of people going to the ER.
The Institute of Medicine released figures in its June 2006 fact sheet, finding between 1993 and 2003 that demand for emergency room care grew by 26%, while during the same period the number of available beds in US emergency rooms and hospital beds decreased. The study found that there were 425 fewer ERs and 198,000 fewer hospital beds.
The article gave some recommendations for surviving in a hectic emergeny room:
- Avoid the ER: Contact your primary physician for care that is not an emergency.
- Time your visits: Aside from Mondays, mornings are the best time to visit the ER.
- Call an ambulance: For life threatening injuries, call an ambulance. You are likely to be seen quickly by the ER doctors and immediate care can be provided in the ambulance.
- Give the full story: Give the intake clerk or nurse the full story of your condition.
- Know who is treating you: Is it the attending physician, a resident, or a nurse.
- Bring someone to help: You will want someone there with a level head to speak on your behalf if things are not going as they should.
- Don’t be afraid to speak: If you think something is not right, or you have been forgotten, be polite, but speak up.
If you or a family member believes that you have a case involving injury due to an emergency room visit, please contact us on-line at Regan Zambri & Long or call us at 202-463-3030 for a free consultation. If you would like to receive our complimentary electronic newsletter, please click here.