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YSK: if you think taking an ambulance to an Emergency Room because you think it'll get you seen sooner. DON'T! (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by MedicPigBabySaver@sopuli.xyz to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world
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Why YSK: If you're injured or ill but it's not life or limb threatening and you decide to call an ambulance thinking it'll be faster and you'll be seen first... WRONG. Ambulance crews very frequently will advise the hospital staff that you "can wait". Then we'll plop you into a wheel chair and push you into the waiting room with everyone else.

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[-] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

This is quite true, with one exception: It would be very wrong for any medic or EMT to tell a receiving nurse "that you can wait". I am a paramedic in Virgina, USA, and that's not how we do things. We deliver the patient to the ER, tell the nurse the patient's chief complaint, our findings, and any other pertinent information. We do not presume to diagnose the patient or suggest treatment modalities or strategies. The nurse passes our information and any new findings to the doctor. It is ALWAYS the doctor who tells the nurse to find a staff member to wheel a non-emergent patient out of the emergency room. very often, as you point out.

[-] MedicPigBabySaver@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

When hubby & wife meet you at end of driveway. Hubby has "flu like symptoms" and wifey follows the ambulance for the 2.5 minute ride to the ER... you better believe the first words out of my mouth to the triage nurse will be: "This guy can wait."

[-] misterundercoat@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Don't worry. As an American, I don't entertain the thought of calling an ambulance for anything less than life threatening.

[-] CrazyEddie041@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

If it's merely life-threatening, then I'll wait for an Uber.

[-] Kaiser@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

A lot of places are moving to “soft billing” where you’ll be sent a bill but if you don’t pay it’s written off; or no billing for residents. (Assuming you habe government run EMS and not private)

As an volunteer EMT I hate hearing that a pt doesn’t want to be transported because of the price. Life saving care shouldn’t be cost prohibitive, I’m glad my jurisdiction changed as this became more common.

[-] DarkTides@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

American healthcare sounds fun... It's like they always have to be on their toes and learning new tips and tricks to save money on it.

[-] Evono@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Comes up to the country.

In Germany if you think you have something serious CALL 112 and ask for an ambulance ASAP you will be put in the next hospital with space put instantly in and get care ASAP

While going on feet / yourself to emergency care can take literarily hours.

[-] TheRealBoner@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Also.. In the US a lot of people don’t want to call an ambulance because of the cost, BUT it doesn’t cost anything for them to show up and assess whether you need to go in an ambulance or not. So if you are in a potentially life threatening situation, you should call 911. They can show up, potentially save your life, and then have a friend transport you.

[-] Sjy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

It isn’t common but some places do charge for an “assessment” in the US. It’s relatively cheap compared to a transport, like $50-75 at least that’s what I know from my experience and I’ve only ever worked at one place that did that.

[-] Sjy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It isn’t common but some places do charge for an “assessment” in the US. It’s relatively cheap compared to a transport, like $50-75 at least that’s what I know from my experience and I’ve only ever worked at one place that did that.

[-] Sjy@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

It isn’t common but some places do charge for an “assessment” in the US. It’s relatively cheap compared to a transport, like $50-75 at least that’s what I know from my experience and I’ve only ever worked at one place that did that.

[-] demonicbullet@lemmy.fmhy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Huh, seen this bug on Reddit and now Lemmy, weird.

[-] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Congratulations! You actually just learned about triage.

When we called an ambulance for my wife, they were able to diagnose her on the way in and she went straight into a room for immediate care. It was urgent.

Ambulances are not a Fast Pass to be seen. They're medical care on the way to the hospital.

[-] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

If you want to be treated sooner, arrive with a more serious injury.

spoilerI do not recommend this.

[-] TheAmishMan@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

At the same point though, isn't that like the ambulance crew acting like a first step of triage? Like it sounds like they're doing their job, assessing your security and prioritizing those that do need it? I mean if you have a broken arm or feeling not well and called an ambulance, i want to be taking care of the guy that came in coding and needing CPR not focusing on someone who will likely be alive in the next minute, compared to the guy who isn't breathing

[-] bloubz@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 1 year ago

this seems quite country specific. Care sharing which one?

[-] derf82@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Triage is common throughout the world. I don’t believe anywhere will ambulance service automatically get you seen sooner.

[-] bloubz@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

i think you could be surprised how different things can function in a country different than the US. Especially the medical system. So it could be interesting to have that conversation. I work in the medical field but nowhere near a hospital so can't bring much

[-] Maven@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 year ago

I've had to take ambulances many times in my country, and it's the same here. Triage is triage, I would be shocked if it worked differently... anywhere. If ambulances got you seen faster, it would be at the expense of someone who needed treatment more, and that's bad from both a healthcare perspective (you will save fewer patients) and a financial perspective (dead patients don't pay).

[-] bloubz@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 1 year ago

That's fair and logical arguments. But I guess you are already kind of treated in the ambulance, and if it's not long to finish treating you fully after that, would they do it so they can dismiss you and focus on the rest of the patients?

[-] Maven@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

Ambulances don't really "treat" you, except in the simplest of cases. A paramedic/EMT is not a doctor. Their training is largely in stabilizing you, that is, making sure you don't die before you get to the hospital, where you enter the triage system. They haven't treated you, they've only done their best to keep the problem from getting worse. (I'm not saying this isn't a valuable skill, just that it's not the same as "kind of treating" you)

[-] Rohbtc@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Oh? Here in Canada the paramedics actually stay with you until you get admitted.

[-] MuskX@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, that's what they did with me when I went in a couple of weeks ago here in Australia (non-critical car accident). The paramedics hung around and I stayed on their ambulance stretcher until I went into an Emergency bed.

this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2023
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