Timeline of an Emergency Room Visit

Many people visit the emergency room at some point, whether for their own illness or injury or to take a friend or family member. If an ambulance is not required, a driver may accompany the injured to the ER and should know what to expect. Here are four points on the timeline of an emergency in Fulton County:

1. Getting the Patient Inside

All hospitals have a dedicated circle drive or drop-off point for emergency room patients. The driver may request assistance from staff or security personnel, such as a wheelchair to take the patient inside. Most hospitals have parking garages or nearby ER parking lots for fast access once the patient is dropped off. If it is late at night or the weather is poor upon arrival or departure, the driver can ask that a member of security act as an escort to or from the vehicle.

2. Signing In

A patient brought in by ambulance or exhibiting extreme symptoms may be taken back immediately. However, most ER visitors must sign-in at the reception desk and describe their symptoms. If possible, the patient will need to show a form of identification. The staff on duty may also ask for a phone number, address, emergency contact, and proof of insurance. If needed, translators or translating devices are commonly available throughout ER care and a hospital stay. At this point, the patient will receive a hospital bracelet and most likely directed to the waiting room.

3. Waiting to Be Seen

Depending on the day of the week and the time of day, a hospital waiting room could be very crowded. The nurses on staff will come and call patients to be seen, which is most contingent upon the severity or urgency of the illness or trauma. Patients are not seen in order of arrival, although very young or old patients with the same triage assessment as a middle-aged individual may be treated first.

The driver or anyone else accompanying the patient should stay alert to the patient’s condition as well as to the nurses calling for patients. The waiting room should be equipped with tissues and biohazard bags in case of vomiting, but most hospitals restrict patients from having water until they are triaged. This restriction is in case the treatment requires immediate scans or surgery.

4. The Triage Room

The term triage refers to a ranking system that hospitals use to assess the urgency of a patient’s condition. This system is used to sort patients and ensure that the most urgent cases are seen promptly. In the triage room or area, a nurse may:

• Ask for and enter symptoms into a computer file
• Ask about current medications and allergies
• Take vitals including temperature, pulse, and blood pressure
• Draw blood for tests
• Start an IV
• Deliver anti-nausea or other medications

Possible next steps include being taken back to the waiting room, to a temporary room, to have tests done, to an observation room, or for admittance to the hospital. In the case of an emergency fulton county, the hospital will have a large range of services 24/7 to ensure prompt and thorough treatment.