Lessons from the ER

I’ve always had this fear of the ER, long wait times and doctors who don't know me or my case always make me leery. Whenever a doctor suggested going I would beg for other options, and until recently I had been fortunate to be able to avoid it. However within the span of two weeks I ended up at the ER twice, the first trip went terrible and left me never wanting to go again but the second restored my faith in the ER.

Up until now I haven’t written my tips and tricks for navigating the ER because while I had head knowledge from my degree, I had no practical experience to share. These two trips were definitely eye opening and taught me a lot about not only how to advocate for yourself in the ER but also a lot about our broken healthcare system in general. Today we are just going to be touching on my top tips for navigating a trip to the ER. Some of these tips will apply to the general public but most will be specific to those who deal with chronic illness.

Tips for navigating the ER:

1. Make a “to go” binder and/or document with all pertinent medical history, allergies, current medications, emergency contacts, etc. I highly recommend having a document on your phone with all this info as well in case you aren’t at home when you have to go to the ER. Also the more concise the better. ER staff are extremely busy and aren’t going to be wanting to flip through pages of info.

2. If you have a rare disease that requires different care than typical, see if your specialist is willing to write a letter with what needs to happen when you arrive at the ER. After my first visit my doctor wrote one and it was so helpful to have.

3. When checking into the ER, use clear and concise key words about what's going on. They do not need your life story at that moment and the more info you give, sometimes the emergent symptoms don’t get heard. There will be opportunities later to give more history.

4. Assume you aren’t going to be able to advocate for yourself well. This is where I got most thrown off my first visit. If you know me or have read any of my posts, you probably know I am a fierce advocate for my needs because I know if you don’t advocate for yourself, you can get lost in the system. I had a to-go binder, I had given ER visits a thought, however I wrongly assumed I would be able to advocate for myself verbally or at the very least my family member could. When I ended up in that ER the first night I had no strength to advocate and Covid restrictions made it so my family member wasn’t able to be with me. That is where having a concise document or letter comes in so handy, because it helps relay what you cannot. My second trip I was even less able to advocate but I had learned to use clear concise words, had the letter handy, and thankfully had an amazing doctor who knew what needed to be done.

5. Be kind. ERs are overrun and the staff is overworked. This leads to more frustrating situations for both the staff and patients. Remember you can advocate for your needs while still being kind.

At the end of the day you can do everything right and still have a bad experience, however these are some tips I learned that can help better set you up for success. I am so grateful for all the amazing healthcare workers who are overworked, yet still show up to care for others.

It is so important to also remember to not use the ER as your primary care doctor. Make sure you have a great PCP set up so you have a place to go for routine concerns and someone to follow up with post any ER visits. If you need help finding a great doctor, be sure to check out this post.

What are your top tips for ER visits? Leave them in the comments.

Disclaimer-

All information provided on this blog is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider and/or your insurance provider for your specific situation. This blog does not offer medical advice.