Hospital Woes and Avoiding an Emergency Room

With hospital space at a premium these days, it’s becoming more important than ever to take steps to avoid them if possible. Recently we came across this great article from Edwin Leap, discussing some tips for avoiding the emergency room and things to consider if you do have to end up taking a trip to one.

One of the most poignant lines of the article is taking steps to ensure you’re in good physical shape, not only through fitness, but also through elimination of things that harm your body in small ways, like drugs and alcohol.

Edwin’s article also highlights the importance of knowing your local medical facilities and their capabilities, before you need access to one in an emergency. We’ve discussed the importance of knowing the “baseline” of your neighborhood and we would consider this as a part of that knowledge. For instance, your local hospital may not have a fully equipped operating room, so making your way there with an injury will just delay you further as you’re transported to another facility.

Some things we would add to the premise of the article, would be ensuring that things like documentation are taken care of before an emergency comes up. For instance, if you have Power of Attorney documents, you can put those on file at the hospital you’ll most likely be traveling to, so that a family member doesn’t have to worry about bringing those documents in when you’re not able to communicate.

Additionally, if you have prescription medications you can can discuss getting a longer supply (90 day vs. 30 day), so that you have more on-hand in case something disrupts their supply. During a natural disaster or other emergency, you don’t want to have to worry about getting a refill on your meds.

Lastly, you should take stock of the supplies you have on-hand to treat injuries, before transport to a hospital. Many people participate in activities that have the propensity to cause life-ending injuries, but ironically don’t carry life-saving gear with them. (Looking at you, shooting range guys.) Ensure that you’re carrying a full-size Trauma Kit to these type of places and take the time to seek out the necessary training to use the supplies inside. Last but not least, we’d also recommend making sure that you have a well stocked First Aid Kit, because the likelihood of you needing supplies for treating cuts and scrapes is much greater than some of the higher level medical items.

We hope you’ll take the time to read through Edwin’s thought provoking article and stay safe out there!