Be prepared for an emergency room visit.
You play a fundamental role in your healthcare when you visit the emergency room. By being open and accurate when sharing your symptoms with the Emergency Room doctor, you can significantly impact the speed and effectiveness of your treatment. The more precise and detailed you can be about what you’re feeling and how long it has been happening, the better the doctor can understand your condition. Your honesty is the key to a correct diagnosis. Adding symptoms or other conditions you have concurrently to your emergency may be tempting. All this creates delays and adds to the complexity of getting to the bottom of your emergency condition. The more the emergency department has to address, the longer it takes. Also, adding symptoms can distract from a diagnosis you have. In other words, it might look like you don’t have a condition you genuinely have.
Next, know your past medical problems. If you have diabetes or hypertension, mention them. Also, tell the doctor about any other significant medical conditions for which you take medicines or receive regular treatments. It’s tempting to think the doctors can access your records and already know what is happening to you. However, that is not usually true, especially if you have those treatments in a different medical system.
In addition, list any surgeries you’ve had. Include all major and minor surgeries. There would be no need, for example, for an Emergency Room doctor to consider appendicitis if you no longer have your appendix.
Also, remember to list your medications. Especially if you are having a problem with your medication and you might need a new prescription. If the doctor knows what you are taking, there will be more certainty about what to prescribe for you next.
Also, be able to list any allergies you have. Know all of your drug, food, and environmental allergies. Allergic reactions can complicate your treatment. Knowing your allergies helps the doctor choose safe medications for you.
Furthermore, give details about your lifestyle. Do you smoke or drink alcohol? How much and how often? These habits can impact your health and treatment. If you use recreational drugs, tell the doctor. Honesty here is vital, even if it feels uncomfortable. We’re not the police, and we’re not here to judge you.
Another critical point: share your family medical history. Conditions that run in your family can affect your health. For instance, if heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes is common in your family, the doctor needs to know.
The Process
In an emergency room, a doctor will want to know what symptoms brought you there. Other questions asked relate to the condition that brought you there. For example, how long have you had these symptoms? Have you had them before? What was causing it, then? Are there any associated symptoms? The answers are all data that the doctor will use to arrive at a diagnosis and provide a treatment plan. Medicine is not magic. Data informs medical decisions; a significant part of that data is the story of why you are there—the more accurate the data, the better the result.
To summarize, being prepared and honest helps the doctor treat you better. Remember your symptoms, medical history, surgeries, medications, allergies, lifestyle habits, and family history. Providing this information can save time and lead to faster, more effective treatment. Your cooperation makes a big difference in your care.
Copyright © 2024 William E. Franklin, DO, MBA
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