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| Home > Fact
of the Week > Emergency
Department |
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5-24-2010
Preparedness
Facts of the Week
by
Elizabeth Hall, Emergency
Services Specialist - Kings County Office of Emergency Management |
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| When
Should You Go To The Emergency Department?
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| When
my kids were little, they played
out doors almost all day long, year
round, just like the good ole’ days.
Bike riding (racing), swings, forts,
sand box, Tonka trucks, playhouse
and mud pies. They did it all. Yes,
the good ole days of creating play
time with the imagination. Little
did we know those were the good ole
days.
Aside
from the usual bumps scrapes
and bruises, they were pretty
good at staying out of emergency
situations, except for two times
which required trips to the emergency
room and some stitches – nothing
life threatening, just a little
scary for 3 and 4 years of age.
As
parents, we want to make sure
that we do the best be can to
protect and take care of our
children, so when an injury occurs,
our first instinct is to assess
if this requires a trip to the
emergency room. The decision-making
process still holds true as they
grow older, and even as our adult
family members become in need
of medical attention. How do
we know what constitutes a trip
to the emergency room?
Printable
PDF of Article
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| As
stated by the ACEP, children
have unique medical problems and
may display different symptoms than
adults. Symptoms that are serious
for a child may not be as serious
for an adult. Remember that
children have a hard time communicating
their condition, which means an adult
will have to interpret the behavior.
As a parent, that is always hard
to do because children – even
teens – just cannot seem to
describe the pain. All they know
is that it just hurts! Always get
immediate medical attention if you
think your child is having a medical
emergency. |
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What
the ACEP wants you to
know that will help you
get the best possible
care as quickly as possible:
- Bring
a list of medications
and allergies:
What is the name of the medication you are taking?
How often do you take it and for how long? Do not
forget to include over-the-counter pills and any
herbal medications. A list of allergies is important,
especially if there are many of them. Be sure to
include medications, foods, insects, or any other
product that my cause an allergic reaction. Bring
a medical history form with you. ACEP has medical
forms available on its Web site: http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/
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Keeping
a record of medications and allergies
is something you should prepare ahead
of time with extra copies on hand
ready to take with you should you
need to rush out to the emergency
room.
- Know
your immunizations: This
will likely be a long list
for children, mainly tetanus,
flu and Hepatitis B for
adults.
- Remain
calm: Obviously,
it is difficult to remain
composed if you have been
badly injured, but a calm
attitude can help increase
communication with the
doctors and nurses who
are caring for you. If
it is you child that is
injured, remaining calm
is essential. Your child
will look to you and feed
off of your response. If
they see that you are calm
they will in turn stay
calm and their anxiety
level will remain lower.
- Communication: Communication
is very important when you
are in the emergency department.
You will need to get across
to the medical team as much
information in the quickest
way so the proper treatment
can begin. Let them know if
you are in pain, and if there
have been any changes since
you first walked in.
I
would like to add my own ~
- Patience: This
will probably be the hardest
to master in an emergency room.
Anyone who has experienced
an emergency room wait knows
that the clock seems to tick
slower here than any other
place on earth! However, the
medical team sees numerous
patients and realizes how the
waiting experience can be.
They too feel your frustration
and are doing their best to
attend to each and every patient
in a timely manner.
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Do
your part for safety awareness by passing
this information along to anyone you can
think of who would benefit.
Have
a great week, and remember…… Be
Responsible - Be Ready - Be Prepared!
Teaming Up for Emergency Preparedness
Elizabeth Hall
Office of Emergency Management
280 Campus Drive Hanford, CA 93230
(559) 582-3211, Ext. 2634
www.kingscountyoem.com |
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