How to Navigate the Emergency Room

Emergency rooms are simultaneously the most essential and most overwhelming parts of the healthcare system. They provide life-saving care for true emergencies while simultaneously serving as the de facto primary care access point for millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans — creating the crowded, long-wait environments that frustrate patients who could be seen more appropriately elsewhere. Understanding how emergency rooms work, what the triage process involves, what to bring, and how to communicate effectively can improve your experience during what is inevitably already a stressful situation.

When To Go To The Emergency Room

The ER is for emergencies — conditions that, without immediate medical intervention, could result in death, severe disability, or serious harm.

Go to the ER (or call 911) for:

• Chest pain, pressure, or tightness (especially with shortness of breath, arm/jaw pain, sweating)
• Signs of stroke: sudden facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, vision changes, sudden severe headache (BE-FAST)
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath at rest
• Severe allergic reaction (throat tightening, difficulty breathing, hives with swelling)
• Altered mental status, confusion, or loss of consciousness
• Severe bleeding that doesn't stop with direct pressure
• Head injury with loss of consciousness, seizure, or confusion
• Suspected overdose
• Seizure (especially first seizure, prolonged seizure, or in someone without a known seizure disorder)
• Major trauma: motor vehicle accident, significant fall, penetrating injury
• Severe abdominal pain
• Signs of sepsis (high fever with confusion, rapid breathing, extremely ill appearance)
• Testicular torsion (sudden, severe testicular pain)
• Severe burn (face, hands, genitals, large area, or deep)
• Broken bone with deformity, neurovascular compromise, or open fracture
• Psychiatric emergencies: active suicidal intent or plan, psychotic break with safety risk