Medical emergencies can be unpredictable and sometimes very traumatic.  While no one plans to visit the emergency room of a hospital, it’s helpful if you know some things ahead of time.  It may even make an unexpected trip at least a little easier.

ERs are equipped to handle most emergencies.  Patients usually arrive at the ER by ambulance or by a friend or family member.  Sometimes they may even drive themselves!  Patients who arrive by ambulance or are unconscious upon arrival are usually assigned a patient bed immediately.  If someone else brings you to the ER and you are not unconscious, you will first be brought to a waiting room, where your medical condition can be assessed.

It’s important to know that medical attention in the ER is usually based on severity of injury or illness.  Typical categories may include: immediately life-threatening, urgent but not immediately life-threatening and less urgent.  This categorization is usually conducted by a triage nurse and is necessary to ensure that the most severe patients are treated first.  The triage nurse is usually the first person you will see in the ER.  The nurse will check your vital signs (temperature, pulse, blood pressure, etc.) and will get a brief medical history, including information on current treatments or medications.

Once you see the triage nurse you will usually have to go through registration.  This is where you provide insurance information.  If your condition is life-threatening or if you arrive by ambulance, this step may be done later at the bedside.

Once an emergency physician is able to see you, you will be brought to an examination room.  Some emergency departments break out their examination rooms into various categories, including a trauma center for severely injured patients, a fast track for minor injuries or illnesses and an observation unit for patients who required prolonged treatment or several diagnostic tests.

The emergency physician will ask a lot of questions about the circumstances surrounding the injury or illness.  To help increase the possibility of correct diagnosis and treatment, you must be sure to be completely truthful about events and symptoms.  If you are critically ill, you may be admitted to the hospital.  If your injury or illness does not require hospitalization, the physician may place you in the observation unit or may prescribe a treatment plan and medications.

In addition to being familiar with how the ER works, you should be familiar with a few things before a visit, including:

• The fastest route to your local ER
• Emergency room procedures, including who to check in with and how to check a patient’s status
• Visiting procedures

Also, keep in mind that ERs can be very busy, with a lot of people – patients, nurses and physicians.  Remember to stay calm and to be polite, but assertive.