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It never fails. You have a sudden fall or an acute flare-up of a serious symptom. You're rushed to the emergency room and find yourself whisked through a maze of brightly-lit corridors where people are moving fast and machines are whirring faster. While you're still trying to catch your breath, someone shoves a thermometer in your mouth, slaps a blood pressure cuff on your arm, and the barrage of questions begins as your mind struggles to make sense of it all...
"I have no idea...I can barely remember my own name..." What medications are you taking now? What strength? How many? How often? What for?
When did the pain begin?
Is it a burning pain, a stabbing pain, a throbbing pain? Intermittent or constant?
Let's face it. An exchange like this is totally frustrating and unhelpful to both the patient and the ER staff responsible for providing your care in a time of crisis. Urgent care providers must make crucial decisions, often with limited information, that will determine how well you come through an acute situation. Understandably, since this may be the first time they have ever laid eyes on you, the ER staff will not be familiar with your medical history as your own personal physician will be. Therefore, it is up to the patient to "fill-in-the-blanks" to make the emergency room visit as smooth, safe, and effective as possible. Planning for an emergency might seem like an oxymoron, since a trip to the ER by definition is generally an unexpected event. However, there are certain things you can anticipate and prepare for ahead of time. "the average wait for emergency treatment nationwide is about two hours."1 Triage and Waiting When you first arrive at the ER, you will likely undergo some form of triage; a process of determining the order in which patients are seen. Generally speaking, the highest priority is given to those with the most urgent or life-threatening needs. Emergency rooms do not operate on a first-come, first-served basis. If more seriously ill patients arrive after you, you may spend more time in the waiting room while the sickest patients are treated first. While you are awaiting treatment, you may feel resentful and frustrated at not being seen immediately. However, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians2 there are many factors that account for long wait times during an emergency room visit, including:
The copyright of the article Ten Tips for Emergency Room Trips in Multiple Sclerosis/MS is owned by Pamela Martin. Permission to republish Ten Tips for Emergency Room Trips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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