What Not to Do in the ER
CNN Headline News anchor Glenn Beck has been making news of his own lately with stories of a miserable emergency room experience, surgery, and recovery at the hospital near his home. From his horrible ordeal comes some really excellent advice to help us all avoid what he went through.
Here are the top 5 things not to do in the ER, courtesy of CNN Health, with commentary by yours truly:
- Forget to call your doctor on the way to the ER. If you let your doctor know you’re headed to the hospital with an emergency situation, he may be able to either meet you there or contact a colleague who will then be looking out for you.
- Use an ambulance when you don’t really need one. Ambulances are expensive, even with insurance, and they won’t get you treated any faster than if you drove yourself unless you’re in truly bad condition.
- Be quiet. If you really can’t wait to be seen and the folks in the ER aren’t helping you, don’t just sit there and suffer. Let them know that this is a serious situation. If they continue to refuse to at least evaluate your case, ask to speak to someone in charge.
- Get angry or lie. Yelling at people doesn’t make them more inclined to help you, and neither does blowing your symptoms out of proportion to get them to pay attention to you. Remain calm and be honest about the problem. You’ll be more likely to be seen and treated well than a cranky liar will be.
- Forget the phone. If you really need help badly and you’re being ignored, find a hospital house phone (usually on the wall in a hallway leading out of the ER waiting room), dial the operator, and ask for a hospital administrator or patient advocate. Their job is to make patients (ie, customers) happy, and having them on your side will help you get the care you need.
Do you have words of wisdom for navigating the emergency room? Leave your ER advice in the comments.
Tags: womens health, woman, health, emergency room advice, glenn beck
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POSTED IN: Health, Illness, Injury, Medicine, Real life, Wellness
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