Patients in Emergency Room Left Confused
A majority of ER patients are discharged without any understanding of the treatment they received or how to care for themselves once they get home. This can lead to medical errors and more complications that send them right back into the ER.
A study was done of 140 patients discharged from two ER hospitals in Michigan. They were asked about their understanding in four different areas – their treatment, at home care instructions, diagnosis, and signs of when to return to ER. The study found that 78 percent did not understand some of the four areas.
Doctors have little time to go over information with patients, and most patients are upset and not thinking clearly when they are in the ER. So, communication is key when discharging patients. Some experts in doctor-patient communication recommend that the patient has to repeat the instructions back to the doctor. Experts also say that the Hospital should make follow-up calls and visit the patient, and that the hospital should be available for 72 hours after patient leaves the ER.
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Repeating instructions to the ER patient prior to discharge isn’t enough. A hospitalized patient cannot digest discharge or after care instructions. They need a family member or good friend to act as an advocate, to sit with them and ask questions about what to expect with after care and write down instructions from the physician. In my new book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, I interviewed over 150 doctors, nurses, hospital staff and family members with hospitalized loved ones, to create a guide about how to oversee and support a loved one’s hospital medical care—including what to do when a patient is discharged. Someone must be with the patient to act as his or her eyes and ears and to document the communication with the physician and nurses.
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