I just called 911. What should I know before EMS arrives?
Calling 911 can be a disorienting experience. On top of a medical emergency already going on, the stress of several responders piling into the home or space, the sounds of the sirens as they come near, and the thousand questions that are sure to come in the fast-paced environment is enough to startle most people. It’s normal and okay to feel disoriented or anxious during these times. While needing to call 911 in and of itself is a stressful thing, it’s important to be prepared to help things run a bit more smoothly when the time comes. By remaining as calm as possible, providing accurate and concise information, and being flexible with responders, you too can play a role in providing quality care to the patient.
In this article, we will discuss and answer questions that are common for those calling 911 in acute emergencies. We hope that this helps the public understand more about the reasons behind some of the actions responders take and how they can fit in with the overall health system.
Have a medications list ready.
Many Americans today use a variety of medications on a daily basis. These medications can differ from day to day, in doses at certain times, and be for a variety of different things. Having an accurate medications list on standby for responders helps make handoff easier both from the scene and to the hospital when the patient reaches their destination. It also helps EMS providers make decisions about a patient’s care plan. For instance, having a medication such as Warfarin prescribed lets EMS know that a patient may have taken a blood thinner recently, and thus should be treated with extra caution when it comes to trauma issues. Patients that have blood thinners can be at higher risk of internal bleeding with seemingly minor surface wounds. Similarly, a patient prescription for Eliquis will help EMS providers know to assess for potential Atrial Fibrillation issues that may cause other presenting medical issues with the patient. Having a good medication list also helps EMS providers assess for any contraindications if they are opting to provide medications of their own during the course of treatment.
Having other things like medical history information, recent surgeries, and the name of the primary care provider for the patient available is especially helpful. EMS Aware is working on a template to make this process easier and will post it in this article when available.
Why do the responders ask so many questions?
EMS providers ask questions about the patient and what’s going on in order to build their clinical picture. For instance, EMS providers can use information about a patient’s recent surgery and new onset chest pain to identify the possibility of a pulmonary embolism being the main issue. While it may seem excessive, care can only get better with more information. A good history of a patient is the best tool in an EMS provider’s arsenal for treatment.
Feel free to tell the EMS providers any specific information that you may think is helpful. For instance, mentioning what or when a patient last had something to eat can help providers look for potential blood sugar/diabetic issues and plan ahead for airway complications if the patient becomes critical. Any little bit helps.
Why the lights and sirens? My call didn’t seem too severe.
Most EMS systems base their use of lights and sirens on a triage system that takes in information from the caller and decides its relative severity. Reducing unnecessary use of lights and sirens can help calm scenes and make for safer roadways. If responders come with lights and sirens, it likely just means that the automated computer system decided that it would be best suited by lights and sirens. These systems are imperfect and are continually tuned to provide better responses based on available data. As with any emergency, focus on staying calm and providing info to responders - the lights and sirens are just part of the territory.
I’m not sure what hospital the patient went to. How can I find out?
The best way is to hear from the provider in charge before they transport. However, that is not always possible or feasible. Providers on scene may have to redirect from one hospital to another if the patient’s condition changes or the receiving hospital is too overloaded. If the patient is awake, try to reach out to them to see about their destination and condition. While you may feel the urge to try to keep calling or contacting them if you don’t have a response, it is important that responders are able to continue working efficiently in the event of a patient becoming critical. If all else fails, you can reach out to the EMS department that transported the patient through a public phone number or calling the destination hospital. If a patient is registered, hospitals are typically able to inform you that they are there. Hospitals usually cannot release much more information other than that without you being present and the patient consenting.
Providing a phone number for a good contact for the patient is especially helpful. This can be included on a medications list.
Conclusion
Calling 911 is an inherently scary thing, and ideally the vast majority of the public will never have to come into contact with EMS on an emergent situation. However, emergencies can strike at any time for all kinds of people. Being able to recognize emergencies, report them accurately, and cooperate with care providers can help providers deliver better care and deliver better outcomes.
