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Update: Part III: Some Guidelines for Accessing the Emergency Department

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  • Update: Part III: Some Guidelines for Accessing the Emergency Department


    Part III: Some Guidelines for Accessing the Emergency Department


    WHAT THE ER IS FOR
    Emergent (just happened or just changed) problems that are urgent - ie, they can't wait until a regular doctor's office opens. Urgent problems are those problems that mean an immediate danger to life or limb.

    Chest pain is emergent. A cold is not.

    Call an ambulance for
    • Anything where ABC is compromised: airway, breathing, and circulation.
    • Any symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, or meningitis.
    o These include but are not limited to: chest pain that radiates or extends to other parts of the body, high fevers that don't respond to acetaminophen (aka Tylenol, APAP, paracetamol), changes in mental status such as unconsciousness, confusion or aggression, or weakness or loss of control of parts of the body, especially if accompanied by severe headaches.
    o http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Condit...ubHomePage.jsp
    o http://children.webmd.com/vaccines/t...gitis-symptoms
    • Arterial bleeding (Bright red, and pulsing.)
    • Massive bleeding of any sort, arterial or otherwise.
    • Any other immediate threat to life (eg severe burns, nasty crushing injuries, poisoning).
    • Threat to sensory organs, such as a severe eye or ear injury.
    • Threat to limbs. If your thumb is hanging by a tendon, go ahead and call an ambulance.
    • Extreme emergent pain (especially abdominal, and especially if pregnant or if you still have your appendix).
    • If unsure, call the ambulance. Better safe than sorry.


    When NOT to call the ambulance

    • If you can't get a friend or family member to take you to the doctor’s office. Take a cab or the bus. Walk.
    • If your problem is not emergent. Calling the ambulance for a minor laceration on your hand or ringworm takes an ambulance out of service and makes it unavailable for the poor sucker who IS having a life threatening problem.
    • If the problem you're calling for is a long term chronic problem that is not life threatening, such as migraines or back pain.
    • To try and get to the head of the line. The Charge Nurse can and WILL send you to the waiting room if they are busy.


    Get to your doctor, an after-hours clinic, or the ER (in order of preference) for

    • A sudden infection that is worrying/abnormal
    • A new wound which is not a threat to the limb, and not bleeding arterially, but which will need proper medical attention
    • Complications with pregnancy (severe complications, go direct to the ER)
    • Extreme pain that is not responding to pain medications, but it's chronic, or the cause is known and doesn't require urgent attention.
    Last edited by Ree; 06-02-2012, 12:51 PM.
    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.
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