Understanding the ER

According to the CDC, more than 130 million visits to the emergency room every year. Knowing what to expect from your local ER can help you make the best of a difficult situation in an emergency.

Triage

Patients are treated based on the severity of their condition, not by order of arrival. ER doctors see patients with the most severe medical emergencies first. To find out whether you need to go to the front of the line, you will go through a process called triage.

A medical professional will get a brief history of the event or symptoms that brought you to the ER during triage. They will check your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, breathing and other health indicators. If you are transported to the hospital by emergency medical services due to a life-threatening condition like a heart attack or stroke, they may perform triage on the way to the hospital.

Doctors see those who need urgent intervention right away. If you are not in immediate danger, you may be asked to wait and fill out a registration form. However, exaggerating your symptoms, even a little, can complicate your diagnosis and lead to a more prolonged visit. Advocate for yourself if your symptoms worsen after check-in by notifying the staff immediately

Admission

Once you are moved to a room, doctors and other medical professionals will gather more information to diagnose the problem. That may include blood tests, X-rays or other diagnostic imaging and other appropriate medical tests. Depending on your condition, you may be treated in the ER, admitted for additional care or referred for follow-up care.

Discharge

When you leave the emergency room (ER) and head home, you will receive instructions about what to do next. This may include taking a new medication or following up with a primary care doctor or specialist. Be sure that you or someone with you writes down the steps the ER team recommends, including filling prescriptions or cast care.

If emergency symptoms return or get worse, you may need to revisit the ER.

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