Some ER patients are critically ill—from trauma, heart attack, or severe infection.
These patients will get seen immediately and have the full focus of ER staff. Other patients are not critically ill but still have needs that must be tended to.
As an emergency physician and patient advocate, I’ve met many patients who are frustrated by their medical care. I wish I could have given them advice before they came to the ER.
I see some of the same missed opportunities and miscommunications again and again. Categorizing the clusters of difficulties can help to identify and fix the problems.
Here are my suggestions for 10 types of ER patients.
I don’t intend to stereotype or imply that every patient falls into one of these categories. If you recognize yourself in one of these categories here’s how to improve your care.
When I had to visit our A&E dept I saw examples of patient 11, The I've got plenty of time to waste so you can wait for me and my family.
A & E was packed. The staff were working flat out and still managing to smile.
I was there as I'd developed a really bad chest infection overnight, it was Saturday so no doctor's surgery. (This was the start of my lung problems so no diagnosis, no medication etc)
Among the people ahead of me, in the queue for the walk in surgery not the trauma queue, was a teenager, wrapped in a blanket and a good match in colour to the parchment tinted walls, a family with a preschooler and a just walking-if you-hold-my-hands baby and a variety of people looking as though in pain.
We all waited. The baby and her sister played happily. The teenager began to look green and her eyes looked glazed. I gurgled yellow mucus from my chest on every outward breath.
The little girl wanted the toilet, mum took her. Some new people arrived and Dad, sat watching the baby, called out noisily to them. Greetings all round.
The Doctor called the next patient by name. Dad told him about Mum and daughter in the loo. Dr retreated, Dad continued his chat with his friend, (No, he didn't knock on the loo and say they'd been called)
Doctor called them again.
Dad carried on chatting.
Mum came out of toilet.
Dad called her over "Look who's here"
They all started to chat.
Doctor called them again.
They said a long goodbye to their friends.
Pushing the pushchair but holding the baby's hands and walking at babies pace they strolled through to see the doctor.
Last time I was at AE with my dad when the thought he had sepsis I might AD took ambulance 🚑 five hours to arrive pic my dad up AFTER doctor phone them.
Was a guy had is hand chopped off CLEARLY he was drunk with Is mates running round bleeding on everyone.
But with out sounding mean COULD see how why it happened.
I don’t think people especially sick people go to just hang out AS the not nice places really.
On other end of spectrum I have seen those with bumps bruises who take the family friends there for day out I guess ONLY thing missing is the picnic.
But getting back to my dad and ambulance 🚑 sepsis calls nwas policy says 2 hour wait max
As boffins who come up with that tried having suffering sepsis
How would suggestions of the author of the article , Leana Wen, work in practice? Would everyone have to read her article, categorise themselves before they decided to go to A and E?
So many things take people to A&E, trauma, medical emergency, mental health and a two week or longer wait to see their GP to name but 4. Pete usually goes by ambulance.
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Has anyone had a Spirometry test recently?
Pseudomonas infection
Chemical names for medication/new oxygen tank & prescription
steroid withdrawal again!
