ER Etiquette

[kherbert05]

1) ER's are not first come first served. Staff Triag  people according to the severity of their issue.

2) Don't drive yourself if you are the one having a problem you could kill someone.

3) Try to avoid using the ER for minor things. If you have one check with your Doctor about going to the ER for things that could be handled in their office.

4) Don't make assumptions. Why someone is taken before you is not your business.

5) For those with chronic on going issues have documentation on you at all times. This can be med alert + a summary of issues and meds and contacts that you carry in your wallet. I have the same info on my emergency call list at work. My friends know the card is in my wallet. I update it every time my meds are changed and after each checkup. I just give it to the Triag person, makes communication much easier.

6) Be polite to the nurses and other staff members. But they understand you are scared, not feeling well, are in pain.

7) No the person in the waiting room doesn't have to let you watch their movie on their laptop. They don't have to change the movie to occupy your child.

[ginlyn32]

8.) It is a bad idea to use the ER as a Doctor's office. If you have no insurance, check to see if your county/province has a low-cost clinic for uninsured patients. You can also call a Dr. and see if they offer assistance programs for those who are low-income or no insurance.

ginlyn

edited for spelling...because yes, I do know the difference between patient and patience.

[FoxPaws]

9) Use a Minor Emergency or Urgent Care center for things like food poisoning or sprained ankles. Not only will you not be taking up valuable time/space in a Major Emergency Room, but the service tends to be faster.

10) Limit your caregivers/drivers to two functional adults. There is no need for the whole family to tag along unless you are dying. Do not bring your children, elderly relatives, or anyone else who needs assistance or supervision. The only exception is if they are the closest of kin to the patient (e.g. Grandpa needs to be with Grandma). In that case, one family member/caregiver should be assigned solely to assist them while another looks after the patient.

11) Don't stay in the emergency parking zone any longer than necessary. If the patient is conscious, a family member should be able to leave them long enough to move the vehicle.

12) Don't snoop, pry, eavesdrop, gossip, or try to pump the staff for info on other patients.

[Crazy Chicken Lady]

ER staff don't have the time to run across the street to get McDonald's for patients while they wait (nor are they allowed to).

Don't get angry if the doctor won't prescribe you what you want. He or she takes into account your allergies, other medications, symptoms,etc to determine what will work best.

Please don't call 911 from the waiting area and demand to be taken to another hospital. Emergency dispatchers really hate this.

Also, please understand that more than likely you will have to wait longer than you would have to in a doctor's office. Most hospitals in this area are grossly understaffed and the doctors and nurses are doing the best they can.
Finally, please remember to fill out the surveys hospitals send out so that hospitals know what they need to improve on and it really makes staff members' days to hear something positive about how they do their jobs.

[rashea]

Try to keep conversations quiet. Other people are suffering, and noise can make that worse.

Be polite to the nurses (and everyone else, but espeically the nurses) they are the ones who do a lot of the taking care of you.

Tests take a while, do your best to wait patiently.

If cell phones are not allowed, respect this policy.

Try not to take up extra chairs in the waiting room, especially if the room is full.

Holidays are the worst time to visit ERs, so expect even longer than usual waits.

Don't try to judge the seriousness of someone else's problem. That's why they do triage.

[Wavicle]

Respect other people's privacy. If you see someone you know or overhear people's conversations, keep it to yourself unless you have spoken to them and you know it is OK to pass it on.

[Kaylee]

Yes.  Yes.  All of this, yes.

I'm mostly just here being the choir to be sung to.  But a few peds-specific rules:

Corollary to Rule #1 of All ERs Everywhere:  The Waiting Game!  Yes, there is a wait, even for children, though we do bring kids with certain problems directly into the ER even if they may not "look" sick (think asthmatics).  We really will see your child as soon as possible, but patience is the name of the game.  It also may take some time for assessment/treatment/consults with specialists once you're in here.  Please don't yell about how long you've been here; we'd like you to leave as soon as possible too. 

Corollary to #10:  We really do understand that it can be difficult or impossible in an emergency to find child care for the sick child's siblings.  That said, this is not a day care and it's a bad idea on a whole lot of levels to bring your kids in here.  If you really have to, you have to at least attempt to keep them corralled and under control.

If you are concerned with or disagree with what the doctor has or has not prescribed or ordered for your child, despite all the aforegoing frustrations, yelling/demanding/threatening the medical personnel is a really lousy way of getting what you want.

[Pinky830]

A couple of veterinary-specific ones:

1. Yes, you will have to pay. Tonight. I know, I really do, it sucks for everyone to have a big vet bill-and at the ER it will probably be big-sprung on you. Please, please, don't yell at us that we're just in it for the money. Especially these days, the staff you're yelling at has likely had their hours cut, they live in fear of being laid off, and their employer had to scrape to pay their vendors last month.

2. Please try not to bring your pet in when you have been heavily indulging in mind-altering substances. Yes, OK, that's some people's idea of fun at 2 AM and I'm not here to judge you, but drunks and stoners have a hard time making decisions.

3. Don't call us first, describe your pet's symptoms, and argue with us about whether you really need to bring it in. You called me, dude. Unless it's something extremely simple, that's what I'm advising.

4. We are not Animal Control. Don't call us to come get a stray. And don't you dare abandon an unwanted pet here.

5. Knock it off with the prank calls. We're busy here.

6. Please don't make me explain everything to you, then call your spouse and hand me the phone and make me explain it all over again.

7. No, I'm sorry, you can't sit next to your pet's cage in the treatment area. I've tried it and it was a crippling distraction.

[JonGirl]

Try not to puke in the carpark outside the ER. It makes a mess and annoys the ambulance staff.






How do I know this? 

[Larrabee]

Don't try to strike up conversations with other patients in the waiting room.  Yes you may be bored but they could be very distracted by pain/nausea/concentrating on breathing and probably aren't looking to make a new friend but will feel rude if they don't respond to you.  It puts people in an awkward position. 

Don't downplay your symptoms/suffering.  If you aren't used to being ill and hate to complain its hard to break the habit and really open up about how bad you feel.  But the doctors need this information to treat you and there are no prizes for stoicism!

[rashea]

Try to contain your own germs. If you're sick, use tissues and your elbow when sneezing and coughing. Hand sanitizer is a good thing in hospitals.

Along with not downplaying your symptoms, don't try to make it out as though you are dying if you have a little cut. It won't get you in any faster.

[BeagleMommy]

Don't try to manufacture symptoms you think will get you helped faster.  I saw this once.  A man in the ER claimed to have been having chest pains.  After the ER staff rushed him into a treatment room he explained that he really only had a sprain, but didn't want to wait.  He then had to deal with some very unhappy police officers.

[M-theory]

Respect other people's privacy. If you see someone you know or overhear people's conversations, keep it to yourself unless you have spoken to them and you know it is OK to pass it on.

The world would be a better place if HIPAA applied to everyone.

[JonGirl]

Don't try to manufacture symptoms you think will get you helped faster.  I saw this once.  A man in the ER claimed to have been having chest pains.  After the ER staff rushed him into a treatment room he explained that he really only had a sprain, but didn't want to wait.  He then had to deal with some very unhappy police officers.

This can actually be a dangerous practice. What if someone really has chest pains? 
That happened once a long time ago with the man pacing up and down, insisting he had pains and he actually keeled over and died. 

[ccpb1214]

If there's a sign saying no cell phone use, it means no cell phone use.


It doesn't mean secretly using it and speaking quietly when the security guard isn't looking.