Q. My daughter was recently taken to the Emergency Room by ambulance. She broke her leg, which required surgery and a brief hospital stay to repair it. When asked where we’d like to take her, my wife and I were at a loss. What do we need to look for when considering an Emergency Room and possible hospital stay?
A. When you are facing emergency medical situation, there are often many unknowns. Can the condition be treated in the ER? Will the patient need to be admitted for a long hospital stay? Are there specialists on site that can treat the specific problem? Will there be a long wait to be seen? Quite frankly, the time to discover the answers to these questions is not when you’re in a medical crisis but beforehand.
At Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers, our ER patients can rest assured that from the time they walk through our doors they will receive efficient treatment backed by the depth of expertise of a major acute care hospital. While minutes can mean the difference between life and death, speed alone isn’t always enough.
Our ERs are equipped to handle everything from minor emergencies to the most life-threatening situations. And when a patient needs more than what our emergency medicine specialists are trained in, additional specialists and subspecialists are on hand, just down the hall. If they need to be admitted, no transfers are necessary. With a Cancer Center, a Heart and Vascular Center, ICU, an Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery Department, a Pediatric and Adolescent Unit and rehabilitation services, our ERs are fully supported by our hospitals’ areas of excellence.
When an admission and further treatment is required, our patients report feeling they have been well informed about their condition and about how the physicians plan to treat them. They are confident in the transition between ER and their longer-term stay in the hospital. Earlier this year, our two hospitals implemented new programs in our ERs that added technologies and streamlined processes that allow more efficient and consistent communications among those caring for the patient, as well as between the patient and his medical team. These changes have produced more accurate and thorough diagnoses and treatments; and when a diagnosis requires a specialist’s care or consultation, patients can rest assured that they will have prompt access to a variety of specialists and subspecialists.
While so much is unknown in an emergency situation, there is one thing you can be sure of: a hospital backed by so many areas of expertise is the place you want to be.
For more information, please call 480.728.8000.
