How to Prepare for a Medical Emergency

What do you do when a friend or relative has an unexpected medical emergency and you have to accompany them to the emergency room? If it is a serious medical problem, you will need to call the emergency services phone number 911 (in the U.S. and Canada) and be ready to provide important information about the person’s health.

You may need to give ambulance paramedics important health information. You may need to register the person at the emergency room and provide additional information, including insurance documentation. Doctors, nurses and medical staff will have questions to aid them in making critical decisions. In other words, someone needs to take charge and that someone may be you!

When we think of emergency preparedness, we usually think of food and water for an unexpected natural or man-made disaster. And if a serious medical emergency happens, we just call 911 and the medical staff will take care of everything else. But think again.

What if your loved one is alone and can’t speak to the medical staff? What if they are unconscious and unable to answer questions about their medical condition and you don’t know the answers? What if your child is at school and medical records are unavailable? You could be on a vacation, commuting, or even in a foreign country.

The answer is simple. Prepare an “Emergency Document”. If you have a computer, type the information and print it. Save this document where it can easily be changed and reprinted when necessary. If you don’t have a computer, write it by hand. At the very least, include name, address, contact and insurance information, prescription medications and allergies. Make sure to include additional comments that are critical in an emergency situation.

Fold the “Emergency Document”, put it an envelope and write “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY” in big letters on the front. Put the envelope in your purse, wallet or child’s backpack. Keep it with you at all times so a medical attendant can retrieve the health information immediately.

If you are responsible for other people, then put the “Emergency Documents” for yourself and the others in the same envelope. If you have a family, that might include you, your husband and children. Then give an envelope to every one in your family. You never know who needs to help the other!

If and when you go to the emergency room, do not leave your only copy with the first medical staff person you encounter. Either have the first person make additional copies for you or bring several copies with you. Usually you have to give the same information over and over again to every new nurse, doctor and technician that will be responsible for your emergency care! And make sure the correct information is on the patient’s wristband.

An “Emergency Document” is another kind of health insurance. If a medical emergency does occur, you will be prepared to handle it calmly, quickly, and efficiently to aid in the medical care of yourself or a loved one.