Emergencies, Bracelets and Tags
Posted by Sheri Harris on Thursday, June 16, 2011
Under: Problems and Solutions
Problem
Hospitals are equipped with emergency rooms for a reason. That reason or need is so that patients can be seen on an emergent basis. Emergency rooms are not or should not be used as a local hangout during the wee hours of the morning or to be set up as a bed and breakfast in that you may arrive at bedtime but after the "crack of morning" rounds are made you leave once breakfast in any deli or fast food restaurant is being served. One may argue that if you go to your nearest emergency room the wait is not as long. Some towns or cities are populated with more people than others. By knowing that if you live in an area crowded with people it could be best that you travel to another hospital in order to seek the care you need very quickly. This may be surprising in that, just because you go to a town with fewer occupants does not mean that its hospital emergency rooms are going to be less crowded, therefore providing you with instant access to treatment. We can at best attempt to coordinate patient care among the doctors involved with the different aspects of a patients condition. With the design of universal healthcare there needs to be point of care treatment for emergency room visits that are inclusive of all hospitals within a certain county or city ect.. This would mean that not only will adequate care be administered in an appropriate amount of time, but by involving other hospitals in neighboring cities could possibly expedite the wait in order to be seen by a physician.
If a person becomes ill and needs to get to a hospital, what can be done to make certain that the individual not only is transported to a hospital or facility appropriate for care but that there is a staff and facility within a hospital ect. that is able to accomodate a waiting room full of people? Firstly, 911 would be called. 911 is designed for emergency related issues police, fire, hospital. When an ambulance is summoned, they may not be willing because of the liability involved to make requests for road trips to other hospitals and facilities where the equipment is fresh out of the box and the walls and floors are well maintained. This of course is unlike the Bronxville NY, organization I accompanied someone to, where the walls and floors resembled a place that kept reminders of home alive (the living room is the most uncluttered place in a home) since keeping patients in the same way medically didn't seem urgent and the newer equipment money that should have been ordered was spent on legal fees ect. So how is care evenly dispursed without the expense or sacrifice of a person's life?
Solution
When establishing a universal healthcare agenda and practice there needs to be a system set up to utilize all hospitals and services available within reasonable location of where the patient lives or is arriving from. If a hospital and patient care notification and transport service is established, this will ensure that a patient will recieve appropriate care in that it will be provided faster because of the reduced time in waiting for care within the emergency room. For example a person is sick and needs care immediately- which means that this could be a life or death situation if the person is not attended to at all, although the individual is currently alert and responsive. When the notification and transport service is dialed lets say #111, an operator answers the patient or person speaking on behalf of the sick or injured person states their medical issue to determine if an ambulance needs to be called ect. If an ambulance is needed a three way call made by the notification and transport service team will be arranged so that immediate care can be provided. If it is determined that a person needs immediate care ie. pneumonia symptoms but they are able to get to the hospital without an ambulance. The notification and transport service team, by three way calling and communication is able to dispatch to all of the neighboring hospitals and facilities with regards to estimated wait time for particular emergencies and or injuries so that a person can be routed to a hospital or facility to recieve care without too much of a risk in wait. This is because they work in conjunction with 911 and the hospitals so they are on the alert of epidemics of flu, pneumonia and any other contageous illnesses or accidents and injuries that can overcrowd and flood out a hospitals emergency room. The notification and transport service team will assist one with ambulatory needs and emergency room arrival. They will also be required be notified by the hospital if the patient was seen by a physician or if they refused medical care at the hospital or facility and went somewhere else or back home. This is to ensure that care is given to everyone and that it is also evenly dispursed. A service like this is needed as we must brace ourselves for the unexpected!
Hospitals are equipped with emergency rooms for a reason. That reason or need is so that patients can be seen on an emergent basis. Emergency rooms are not or should not be used as a local hangout during the wee hours of the morning or to be set up as a bed and breakfast in that you may arrive at bedtime but after the "crack of morning" rounds are made you leave once breakfast in any deli or fast food restaurant is being served. One may argue that if you go to your nearest emergency room the wait is not as long. Some towns or cities are populated with more people than others. By knowing that if you live in an area crowded with people it could be best that you travel to another hospital in order to seek the care you need very quickly. This may be surprising in that, just because you go to a town with fewer occupants does not mean that its hospital emergency rooms are going to be less crowded, therefore providing you with instant access to treatment. We can at best attempt to coordinate patient care among the doctors involved with the different aspects of a patients condition. With the design of universal healthcare there needs to be point of care treatment for emergency room visits that are inclusive of all hospitals within a certain county or city ect.. This would mean that not only will adequate care be administered in an appropriate amount of time, but by involving other hospitals in neighboring cities could possibly expedite the wait in order to be seen by a physician.
If a person becomes ill and needs to get to a hospital, what can be done to make certain that the individual not only is transported to a hospital or facility appropriate for care but that there is a staff and facility within a hospital ect. that is able to accomodate a waiting room full of people? Firstly, 911 would be called. 911 is designed for emergency related issues police, fire, hospital. When an ambulance is summoned, they may not be willing because of the liability involved to make requests for road trips to other hospitals and facilities where the equipment is fresh out of the box and the walls and floors are well maintained. This of course is unlike the Bronxville NY, organization I accompanied someone to, where the walls and floors resembled a place that kept reminders of home alive (the living room is the most uncluttered place in a home) since keeping patients in the same way medically didn't seem urgent and the newer equipment money that should have been ordered was spent on legal fees ect. So how is care evenly dispursed without the expense or sacrifice of a person's life?
Solution
When establishing a universal healthcare agenda and practice there needs to be a system set up to utilize all hospitals and services available within reasonable location of where the patient lives or is arriving from. If a hospital and patient care notification and transport service is established, this will ensure that a patient will recieve appropriate care in that it will be provided faster because of the reduced time in waiting for care within the emergency room. For example a person is sick and needs care immediately- which means that this could be a life or death situation if the person is not attended to at all, although the individual is currently alert and responsive. When the notification and transport service is dialed lets say #111, an operator answers the patient or person speaking on behalf of the sick or injured person states their medical issue to determine if an ambulance needs to be called ect. If an ambulance is needed a three way call made by the notification and transport service team will be arranged so that immediate care can be provided. If it is determined that a person needs immediate care ie. pneumonia symptoms but they are able to get to the hospital without an ambulance. The notification and transport service team, by three way calling and communication is able to dispatch to all of the neighboring hospitals and facilities with regards to estimated wait time for particular emergencies and or injuries so that a person can be routed to a hospital or facility to recieve care without too much of a risk in wait. This is because they work in conjunction with 911 and the hospitals so they are on the alert of epidemics of flu, pneumonia and any other contageous illnesses or accidents and injuries that can overcrowd and flood out a hospitals emergency room. The notification and transport service team will assist one with ambulatory needs and emergency room arrival. They will also be required be notified by the hospital if the patient was seen by a physician or if they refused medical care at the hospital or facility and went somewhere else or back home. This is to ensure that care is given to everyone and that it is also evenly dispursed. A service like this is needed as we must brace ourselves for the unexpected!