Be Prepared for a Trip to the Emergency Room

Last updated 8 months ago

When you need to visit the emergency room, you are probably under high stress with a strong sense of urgency to get the medical attention you or a family member needs. Therefore, it can be easy to forget important information or documents that can streamline your emergency care. In order to reduce your stress when a trip to the emergency room is necessary, keep these materials handy so that you can have them ready to go before you head to the hospital:

Health insurance cards: Hospital billing is much less complicated when you have your health insurance information ready to go. Keep your insurance card in your wallet or purse so that it is easy to find and ready when you need it most.
List of medications: If you regularly take prescription medications or over-the-counter medicines, you should have this information written down for easy access. You might even consider making a laminated card to keep in your wallet so that you can quickly share this information with a nurse or doctor and avoid the potential complication of a drug interaction when treatment is taking place. If you have any allergies to certain medications, include this information on your list.
iTriage: You can be in tune with your emergency care by utilizing your smart phone with the iTriage app from Good Samaritan Hospital. This app can help you recognize symptoms, find information on common procedures, and know when it is time to go to the emergency room for care. You can also get a look at ER wait times by texting your zip code to 23000.

At the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, we are dedicated to offering patients prompt and accurate care for any emergency medical situation with diagnostic laboratory and imaging services on-site. Learn more about our emergency care on our website or give us a call at (888) 724-2362.