According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), every day, 300,000 Americans on average are treated in the country’s emergency department. These patients are treated for a variety of illnesses. However, according to the ACEP it is also important for people to know when a medical condition can fall under the category of medical emergency. The ACEP came up with a list of warning signs that could potentially lead to a medical emergency.
These warning signs include: shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, upper abdominal pressure or chest pain, change in mental status or confusion, coughing up or vomiting blood, difficulty in speaking, uncontrolled bleeding, fainting, sudden weakness or dizziness, vision changes, persistent or severe diarrhea or vomiting, unusual abdominal pain, and any sudden or severe pain (American College of Emergency Physicians, 2008).
Moreover, according to the ACEP, in order to get best treatment and care as quickly as possible when going to the emergency department, a patient should immediately provide the attending medical personnel with a brief background of his or her medical history. This background should include knowing the medications that he or she is taking and how often he or she takes them, knowing his or her immunizations especially for children such as Hepatitis B for adults and tetanus for children (American College of Emergency Physicians, 2008).
Most of all, the ACEP recommends that patient should remain calm at all times so that the attending doctor or nurse would find it easy to communicate with him or her and determine the extent of his or her illness or injury.
References
American College of Emergency Physicians. (2008). Emergency Medical Services. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://www3. acep. org/patients. aspx? id=26020. American College of Emergency Physicians.
(2008). When Should I Go to the Emergency Department. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://www3. acep. org/patients. aspx? id=26018. Loomis, B. (2007). The History of Emergency Medical Services. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://pubpages. unh. edu/~bcn5/history. html. United States National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. (2008). Emergency Medical Services. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from