The Hospital Guide

At the time of any onset of an illness or injury, it may seem that the best alternative is to go straight to the local Hospital’s ER for treatment. Perhaps it is or maybe a trip to an urgent care center or the physician’s office the next day might be more appropriate. It all depends on how serious the illness or injury might be and does it require immediate treatment.

Most Emergency Departments are able to treat most minor issues regardless of their size and should be able to provide the necessary testing to diagnose your problem. It is best to go to the nearest one even if it is smaller. It doesn’t have to be a Trauma Center although Trauma Centers are better equipped to handle very serious issues. It might be helpful to conduct some research on the particular hospital that you may be using before you are ever in need of using the ER. The Hospital’s website can provide helpful information as to what capability the Hospital has for emergency services. If you have to be taken by ambulance, the EMS personnel will be helpful in advising which Hospital ER is suitable for your condition. Finally, do your research on the Hospital’s Emergency Services by reviewing Google and Yelp ratings and other rating agencies such as Healthgrades, Leapfrog or CMS (HCAPHS).
 

This is a subjective question, but it does deserve some consideration. If the issue is not that serious and you have the ability to wait, it might be better to seek an Urgent Care Center which can process you much more quickly or perhaps wait to see your local physician if you are able to wait for a physician office visit. Depending on your condition, a typical Hospital ER visit can take up to several hours. Urgent Care Centers usually process any diagnosis and treatment in a much shorter time frame but there are limitations as to what can be treated there.

 

Most capable ERs should have at least one ER Physician on staff and in the department there 24 hours. Some ERs may also use Nurse practitioners or Physician Assistants as supplemental staffing in addition to also having Nurses in the ER with Advance Life Support certifications. If this type of personnel is not available, you may want to consider another option for your emergency issue..
 

A well established and capable Hospital Emergency Department should have 24 hour/7day per week diagnostic capability including the ability to have an MRI, CT Scanning, and Ultrasound testing performed at any time as well as the ability to have basic laboratory testing performed with the results returned within a 2 to 3 hour time frame. You should not have to wait an additional day or have these tests performed at a later time.

Be prepared to wait several minutes or longer in the waiting area until you can be “triaged” or prioritized for treatment and then placed in a treatment area or ED bed. The waiting time in the ER waiting area may depend on how busy the ED is and how serious your condition may be. For most significant emergency cases, it will then take at least a few hours for all testing and examinations to be performed before a decision is made concerning your status and a plan is developed for the next step in your care or treatment. This is especially true if your diagnosis depends on reports from the Radiology, Respiratory/EKG and Laboratory departments being returned to the ER Physician. Delays may also occur if the ER Physician has to consult with another physician or specialist regarding your condition and any findings.

 

Yes. Normally, the ED Physician or Staff will ask you if you have a personal physician and may contact them during your visit or you may wish to inform the personal physician yourself. You should also be able to tell the ER Staff all about the medications that you may be taking and any type of treatment that you may be undertaking under a physician’s care or supervision.

The Hospital will obtain this information from you upon entering the hospital or may even obtain it while you are in the treatment area and conduct bedside registration. It might be helpful to remember to have insurance information with you or with whoever might be accompanying you.
 

Depending on your condition, a physician or nurse should in most cases be updating you at least every 30 minutes to keep you informed of the progress being made with obtaining reports on testing and exams. They should also inform you if they are collaborating with any other physician or specialist regarding your treatment and let you know if other physicians may need to see you. The determination of each step should be clearly communicated to you and you should know beforehand if you will be admitted to the hospital, discharged home or even transferred to another facility. If you are being admitted, you should be informed as to how long it will take to get you admitted and placed in a bed on another unit or floor and how long you will have to remain in the ED until you are placed.

You should expect to receive answers and enough information to fully understand the treatment plan and the next steps in the process whether or not you are being admitted, transferred or discharged home. Your ED discharge instructions should clearly outline the follow up process with future exams, testing or physician follow up appointments. You should also receive a list of medications and any prescriptions with instructions on how and when to take the medications prescribed. Make sure that someone transports you home if you are discharged. You will also likely receive a survey requesting you to provide feedback on your visit.