It's urgent. Why am I waiting?

Each year, U.S. emergency rooms (ERs) handle over 155 million visits, making them among the busiest places to receive care. When you visit one, you hope to be seen immediately. Unfortunately, you may have to wait several hours before a doctor assesses you.

Demand for emergency care nationwide is increasing, in part because of to health policy changes and fewer outpatient facilities. However, understanding the ER process may make your next visit easier.

Triage

After checking in to the ER, you will see a triage nurse trained to classify patients based on the urgency of their medical condition. This process helps determine how quickly a doctor will see you.

For example, a patient with a life- or limb-threatening condition, such as stroke, heart attack or serious bodily injury, may see a doctor right away. In these cases, patients with nonurgent symptoms would wait longer.

“Throughout your visit, nurses will assess your condition to make sure you receive proper care,” says Annette Austin, manager of the Sharp Memorial Hospital Emergency Department.

While you wait, patients also arrive by ambulance with urgent health conditions. These patients are assessed and prioritized based on their presenting conditions, which may affect how long other patients wait.

Medical exam

The next step is an exam with a doctor. They will determine if you need laboratory or radiology studies.

“This would mean that your blood may need to be drawn, or an X-ray is needed,” says Austin. “This will add to the time of your visit, depending upon how many other patients need similar workups.”

To help minimize wait times and increase patient satisfaction, the Sharp Memorial Emergency Department developed Quick Care. This area is for patients who can be treated and discharged quickly because their conditions are less urgent. In addition, for conditions that are neither life-threatening nor limb-threatening, patients can add their name to the list by securing an online appointment for any Sharp ER.

Admittance or discharge

Lastly, your doctor will decide whether to admit you to the hospital or discharge you. If you’re discharged, your doctor will review your lab work or radiology results with you, discuss your diagnosis, give you any needed prescriptions for medications, and provide instructions for follow-up care. Before you leave, you will process your payment for the visit.

The Sharp Memorial Emergency Department offers the following tips to help you navigate ER wait times.

1. Consider urgent care.
   Sharp HealthCare has urgent care centers throughout San Diego that treat non-life-threatening conditions, such as earaches, rashes or minor burns. An urgent care visit may be a quicker alternative when you need immediate care.
   

2. Bring important documents.
   Bring your photo ID, insurance card, medical history and a list of medications. These documents can help ensure you’re seen promptly and receive proper care.

“Additionally, Sharp Memorial recently added nine more beds to the Emergency Department, and we have plans to expand further,” says Austin. “We are always thinking of new ways to minimize wait times and accommodate the continual increase in patient volume."

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