When to Go to the Nearest Emergency Room
When you find yourself in an emergency situation, it’s natural to feel confused and uncertain. When do you make the call to head to the nearest emergency room?
Broken bones, severe illnesses, intense pain, or potentially life-threatening conditions can make it difficult to think clearly. If you are uncertain, it is best not to hesitate. Call 911 or head to the closest emergency room right away. Typical emergency situations include:
- Complicated Fractures
- Deep Wounds
- Extreme Difficulty Breathing
- Major Head Injury
- Poisoning
- Severe Allergic Reactions
- Severe Burns
- Suspected Heart Attack
- Suspected Stroke
- Vomiting or Coughing Up Blood
What to Expect When You Visit the ER
Your visit to the emergency room comes with lots of questions. And the compassionate ER team at AdventHealth Murray, formerly Murray Medical Center, in Chatsworth, Georgia, will be here to answer each and every one, because we know that having the facts and feeling confident in your care are the first steps toward recovery. We’ll also have some questions for you. To start, we’ll ask for basic information like your medical history and the reason for your visit. After we take your vital signs, we’ll decide how best to help you.
We carefully prioritize the care of each person, knowing that this can make all the difference for those in critical condition. There are times when this means treating a later-arriving patient first. For example, we might care for someone experiencing a stroke as soon as they arrive so they can get the immediate specialized care they need. When it comes to your emergency care, every minute counts, and we always strive to keep our emergency room wait times as short as possible. So count on us to provide the leading-edge emergency medical treatments you deserve.
Emergencies, by nature, are surprises. So it's difficult to be ready for them, but you can engage in a little emergency preparedness, which will help us provide better, faster treatment. To that end, consider keeping certain helpful information on you at all times, such as a wallet with the name of your primary care physician, your insurance card, a list of your medications and drug allergies, and any advance directives (like your health care proxy or the name and contact information for your power of attorney).