Least busy hours The best hours to visit an emergency room for far less urgent medical conditions according to a recent study, are between 6 am and noon. During these hours, most hospitals don't have as many patients waiting in line and you are guaranteed to get quality medical care.
If you are seriously hurt or sick, you can go to a hospital emergency department for urgent treatment. Emergency departments deal with genuine life-threatening emergencies such as: chest pain or chest tightness lasting more than 10 minutes. sudden onset of weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg.
General guidelines - When to visit an emergency room
wheezing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. chest pain. displaced or open wound fractures. fainting or dizziness.
As your friend did, you can always try to drop a big name, like say you're friends with the president of the hospital. In general, if they think you're a VIP (even if you're not), you'll definitely get seen more quickly. ...
Fainting or Sudden Weakness
On-going dizziness, fainting, and weakness are based on several causes such as infections, allergies, or cardiac or neurologic conditions. These all conditions signal one thing, rush to your doctor for the check-up.
If you are an Australian citizen and have your Medicare card with you, your care in the emergency department will be free. If you do not have a Medicare card or are not eligible for Medicare you will be charged for the services provided.
You pay no out of pocket costs for treatment as a public patient in a public hospital if you have a Medicare card. You may have to pay out of pocket costs if you are a private patient in a public or private hospital.
Fire, flash flood, power out. Australia's fire services and state/territory emergency services have well-tested planning guides for bushfires, cyclones, floods, storms, earthquakes and tsunamis.
The triage registered nurse might assign you a priority level based on your medical history and current condition according to the following scale: Level 1 – Resuscitation (immediate life-saving intervention); Level 2 – Emergency; Level 3 – Urgent; Level 4 – Semi-urgent; Level 5 – Non-urgent.
Unlike a walk-in, an emergency room is not a first come, first serve place. Emergency rooms staffs have to determine the severity of a patients' ailment and recognize if they need medical attention urgently, and they do this with a process called, Triage – which means 'to sort.
Another contributing factor to long ER wait times is the time it takes to diagnose each patient. Emergency physicians must first rule out life-threatening conditions and then possibly administer blood tests, X-rays, CT scans and other lab work, depending on the illness or injury.
Result: EDs were used significantly more frequently on weekends than on weekdays (Mdn = 290 vs. 245 visits/day; p < 0.001). The proportion of less urgent, outpatient emergency visits on weekends was above average. Holiday periods were characterized by at least 6, and at most 176 additional ED visits.
Informal conversations with ED patients on Mondays confirm that many have had symptoms for several days or even no longer have symptoms and are wishing to 'just get checked out'. Sadly, many also describe calling their doctor's office on Monday morning only to be told that no appointment is available.
It can be anywhere from less than one hour to many hours from when patients arrive in the emergency department and are first assessed, to when their emergency medical treatment is complete and they leave the emergency department to either go home (discharged patients) or to a hospital bed (admitted patients).
Only essential medical treatment is covered by the RHCAs. If you want to see a doctor or attend a public hospital for treatment that is not immediately medically necessary, you will be required to pay the full cost of the service. Some RHCAs do not cover visitors on student visas.
It is an emergency if waiting to get care could be dangerous to your life or a part of your body. A bad injury or a sudden serious illness can be an emergency. Severe pain and active labor are also emergencies. Your health plan must cover emergency care no matter where you are and what hospital you go to.
At present, the only way to contact Triple Zero is by voice calling – you cannot send a text or SMS to Triple Zero. 106 is a text-based emergency number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment.
Triple Zero (000)
You should call 000 if you need urgent help from police, fire or ambulance services. Telstra answers calls to the emergency service numbers 000 and 112 and transfers the call, and information about your location, to the emergency service you request.
Why Do Hospitals Discharge Patients Too Early? Hospitals often face overcrowding and are in a rush to get current patients out so they can get new patients in. The hospital may be concerned about the number of beds, or staff, available.
Here's when to call an ambulance, according to guidelines from the American College of Emergency Physicians: The person's condition appears life-threatening. The person's condition could worsen and become life-threatening on the way to the hospital. Moving the person could cause further harm or injury.
Calling an ambulance does NOT get you seen faster in the emergency room. You will be triaged like other patients and seen in the order the emergency room can assist you based off the needs of other patients. FOR TRUE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, please call 9-1-1.