We all have had an Emergency Room experience in our lives. Many of us have presented ourselves to the Emergency Room more times than the number of fingers on both hands. Emergency Rooms are busy, congested, and most of the time not the place you really want to be, but every now and then, we all will have our first experience.

There are several key points to remember that will help you navigate through your Emergency Room ordeal and save you time in obtaining treatment. It is most important to understand that the majority of persons going into the Emergency Room may already have an option to avoid doing so if they called their physician or HMO first. Your physician, depending on the size of the practice, most often set aside several blocked appointments for urgent treatments. You can try to get into one of those appointments by speaking to your physician's office nurse. Most office nurses can triage your medical concern and offer an appointment. The specific appointment may not be on the very day you call, especially if your concern is not urgent. If your medical concerns are more than the normal office visit can handle, you will most likely be asked to go to the nearest Emergency Room for treatment.

Essential Elements to bring with you when going to the Emergency Room:

• Always bring a photo ID (drivers license) and current insurance card when arriving for treatment. These items provide the necessary information for patient registration. Many hospitals will ask for you to pay the co-pay of your insurance prior to treatment or immediately upon discharge from the Emergency Room. Debit and/or charge cards can be used for this payment.
• Bring a list of all medications you currently take on a daily basis and include any allergies to medications and/or foods. The Triage nurse will most often make a copy of your medications for your chart. This will save you time and provide accurate information rather then trying to remember from memory.

Be accurate in describing your medical problem when Triaged by staff:

• You will be triaged by one of the nursing staff and it is important to listen to the questions being asked so you can accurately answer. This evaluation is for the purpose of placing you in line for treatment based on your answers and the urgency of the medical problem. For example, common cold symptoms with no fevers or respiratory compromise will most likely get you into the ER after other more urgent cases. Obvious bone fractures, ongoing chest pain or difficulty in breathing would be taken into the ER immediately to an open bed. Do your best in describing your symptoms and/or the level of pain your are experiencing. Numerically, 10 would be severe pain while 1 being the lowest noted amount of pain. The higher the number may place you ahead of patients with less pain.
• After you have been triaged by the staff you will most likely be requested to return to the waiting room. If at anytime your condition worsens you should inform the nursing staff so they can reevaluate you and possibly get you to treatment. Examples that would prompt reevaluation are: Chest pain, increased pain, respiratory difficulty, dizziness, numbness to extremities, disorientation, and increased headache are a few.

Seek an appropriate time to head to the Emergency Room:

• This is probably the most crucial key element when seeking out treatment and avoiding a long wait in the waiting room. Obviously, if you are in need of emergent or urgent care than you have no other choice but to go to the Emergency Room immediately. If you are not requiring treatment immediately and your medical condition is lingering but stable then you have another option for treatment. Non-emergent conditions can most often be treated quickly in the Emergency Room if you arrive in the early morning hours or during the late night because generally that is when the ER activity has down time and fewer patients. Weekends can be difficult because this is when physicians offices are closed and people use the Emergency Room as their only option for treatments.
• You can ask the Triage staff if there are other options to being treated, such as an Urgent Care Clinic or Medical Clinic. In larger hospitals, Urgent Care Clinics and Medical Clinincs are usually located on the same campus as the hospital. The clinics provide care and treatment to most medical conditions not requiring admission to the hospital or overnight stays in an Emergency Room.

Be prepared and be safe.

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/What-you-need-to-know-the-day-of-your-surgical-procedure

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/HealthCare-Basics-The-site-will-appeal-to-all-groups-interested-in-healthcare-issues

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Road-Rage-for-Bicyclists

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/dachshunds-the-cure-for-love-handles

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Getting-Older-or-Orphan-Senior-Citizen

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Domestic-Partnerships--and-HealthCare-Savings

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Tips-to-save-time-in-Emergency-Room-treatment

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Mans-best-friend--or-enemy

http://hubpages.com/_2jp7c9kboq7ru/hub/Do-you-have-an-Inquinal-Hernia