Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 48)

askthedoctor Emergency Room The ER can be a valuable resource in a true medical emergency, but it’s a good idea to avoid unnecessary visits. Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, D.O. tells you what you can do. T ER Visits Can Be a Warning ■ If elderly people make repeated ER visits, this might be a sign independent living is not the most appropriate living situation. A more structured living environment (such as assisted living) or visits by home nursing/health aides often can be very helpful. he emergency room (ER) is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An ER has a speciﬁc function — to treat emergencies. It is your responsibility to determine whether a medical situation has become an emergency. Some deﬁne an emergency as the threat of loss of life, limb, or sight or permanent disability. ERs generally are best staffed to deal with immediate treatment of serious trauma (such as injury from a car accident) and sudden serious medical conditions such as an impending heart attack or stroke. However, many people seek emergency room care for routine illness such as a cold or slight fever, and the ER might not be the best source of this care. ER visits are expensive, and most ERs don’t provide immediate care — unless there is a true emergency, a visit generally requires many hours of waiting. Other things ERs generally are not equipped or staffed to provide include preventive care or patient education; long term care for chronic or recurrent problems; support services such as physical therapy or occupational therapy; and continuity of care. A one-time ER visit can’t offer medication management, nor is the ER a good place for medication reﬁlls. Here’s how you can minimize your need for emergency room care: ■ Establish a relationship with a primary care provider (such as an internist, family doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) and specialists, if needed (such as a cardiologist if you have serious heart disease). Keep recommended followup appointments. ■ Take medication as prescribed, and make certain you always have a week’s worth of your prescriptions on hand so you don’t run out on weekends. ■ If you’re not feeling well, schedule an appointment with your health care provider during regular ofﬁce hours. Seek care before a small problem becomes a midnight emergency. If you start to feel sick before a weekend or holiday, it’s better to call when symptoms are mild than risk becoming seriously ill when the ofﬁce is closed. ■ If you have repeated exacerbations of a chronic disease — such as asthma or diabetes — that requires emergency treatment, work with your primary care provider to ﬁnd ways to manage and stabilize your illness to avoid these acute episodes. This might require changes in behavior (diet, smoking, etcetera), medication management including patient compliance, more frequent follow-up visits, or other management tools. Emergency rooms have a role in American medicine: to treat true emergencies. They can do that better — and we all will be healthier — if we do what we can to minimize the need for emergency care. MO — Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS-Ret., D.O., M.A., is vice president, Health Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, Arlington, Va. Find more health and wellness resources at www .moaa.org/wellness. For submission information, see page 20. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 48 MILITARY OFFICER AUGUST 2008 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/wellness

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2008

Military Officer - August 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Member Services Cover Story: A Stronger Voice Virtual Combat Mental Floss Steady as She Goes Pages of History Faces of MOAA Member Books Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Scholarship Donors Encore

Military Officer - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.