| Share Medical Center is committed to the health and safety of its patients. As more and more patients seek emergency room care, SMC is striving for a more efficient means of managing the treatment of all who may come to the emergency department. Anyone needing emergency care is encouraged to seek that care at Share Medical Center.
Over the past six months, beginning in June 2009, the Share Medical Center Emergency Room has seen over 2,200 patients.
Nearly 1,400 of those patients could have received their treatment in some other setting besides the emergency department, while just over 800 presented with true medical emergencies.
Fewer than two of every five SMC emergency room patients are facing a major medical issue.
As Share Medical Center moves forward requesting upfront payments for nonemergency patients in the emergency department, the staff feels it is important that the public understand when it is appropriate to use the emergency department and when it is more appropriate to use your primary care physician.
If there is any doubt, SMC recommends erring on the side of caution, but in general, there are several reasons a person may need to seek emergency medical attention. The list below is always available at http://www.smcok.com/sm.nsf/View/EmergencyServices.
- Difficult Breathing/No Breathing
- Loss of Consciousness
- Weak Pulse/No Pulse
- Chest Pains
- Sudden Onset Slurred Speech
- Sudden Onset Blurred Vision
- Sudden Onset Hearing Impairment
- Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Work Related Accidents
- Severe Blow to the Body
- Severe Blow to the Head
- Slips, Trips & Falls
- Uncontrollable Fever
- Hypothermia
- Uncontrollable Pain
- Uncontrollable Bleeding
- Uncontrollable Vomiting
- Severe Burns
- Broken Bones
- Bone/Joint Dislocations
- Severe Lacerations
Any of the above mentioned symptoms may lead to potentially life threatening situations and should be checked out immediately. Keep in mind, something like “uncontrollable pain” may be different from person to person, so use good judgment; some people won’t be as hurt as they think they are, but others will be in a lot worse shape than they care to admit.
Other times, the emergency department may be your only choice; for instance, its 6:00pm on Friday and your child all of a sudden falls sick. It’s not always easy to tell if you need the emergency department or if you can wait until your doctor can see you. In such cases, err on the side of caution and go to the emergency room.
If you are not sure how serious it is, there is no shame in using the emergency department. Our staff will evaluate the situation and recommend either receiving treatment in the emergency department or waiting until the following day or week to set up an appointment with your doctor.
Generally speaking though, a sore throat, runny nose or a cough is not an emergency and should be treated in the doctor’s office instead of the emergency department.
Chronic, longstanding conditions such as back pain or arthritis should also be treated in the doctor’s office, even if you have to wait through the weekend.
It is expected that not all patients seen in the emergency department are faced with life-or-death conditions. Still, far too many people use the emergency department as if it were their doctor’s office.
Talk to your doctor about when you and your family should or shouldn’t use the emergency department. Your doctor will have a good understanding of your health and can better help you realize when you have an emergency on your hands.
If you do not have a doctor, get one. Using the emergency department instead of a personal doctor can lead to overcrowding of the emergency department, not to mention higher personal medical bills and inconsistent personal medical care.
For more information on choosing a physician, click here.
Share Medical Center encourages anyone who needs emergency care to seek that care at Share Medical Center. With your help, SMC can ensure that the needed staff are always available to care for those in health/medical crisis situations. |