Ask your questions in the ER
July 18th, 2008 | by caprice |If you have gone to the emergency room and left with questions, and maybe some confusion, you are not alone. The University of Michigan calculates that 78% of the patients receiving emerency care services do not fully understand their care, follow up instuctions, or diagnosis and cause. Of the group that could have understood (no cognitive impairments), this is where the picture got fuzzy:
- 29% did not understanding the actual care,
- 22% did not understand the follow up instructions, and
- 15% did not understand their diagnosis and the cause for it.
Hmmm, the numbers suggest that maybe the problem is not only the patients. Hospitals, like the University of Michigan, are taking steps to address the need for better communication. If you have questions, ask them so you can fully understand what has happened and what you need to do about it. You are paying for the care and deserve to understand; the providers need to communicate in a way that you can understand, so let them know if you don’t. As you can see, this is a common problem and only by slowing down the process, can communication get better. Note: if your health issue is not a true emergency, please go to your doctor or an urgent care center instead of the emergency room. It’s cheaper and you might get more time with the providers.
Source: Charles Bankhead, reviewed by Zalman S. Agnus, MD, MedPage Today
http://www.medpagetoday.com/EmergencyMedicine/EmergencyMedicine/tb/10178