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CONTACT: SCOTT COSTELLO
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TUPELO, Miss.—The promise of “first come, first served,” doesn’t always apply to health care, particularly when it comes to emergency medical treatment. While waiting can sometimes be irritating, triage protocols are used to make sure patients receive timely and appropriate care.
Triage is a system first used during wartime and
disasters to prioritize casualties—it is now used in many hospital emergency
departments and physician offices to best utilize medical resources.
“This system allows us to see the sickest patients first,” says Steve Noggle, M.D., an emergency physician with North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point. “Those with life-threatening illness or injury will be immediately taken back to be seen by a physician. Other non-life threatening injuries or minor medical conditions may have to wait while those more seriously ill are treated.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, patients are asked to check in at the registration desk. Basic information such as name, Social Security number, address and birth date will be gathered or verified.
Following registration, patients are seen by a Triage Nurse. This nurse takes vital signs and gathers information about a patient’s condition. Once the need is assessed, the patient will be moved to an exam room as soon as conditions allow.
Certain medical conditions are true emergencies and take priority over others. Heart attacks, strokes, breathing difficulties, life-threatening injuries and profuse bleeding all require immediate and aggressive attention.
Emergency medicine is as unpredictable as it is important. As an Emergency Department physician with North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Alan Brown, M.D., never knows what types of injuries and illness each day will bring.
“We may see anything from a patient in cardiac arrest to a child with a cold,” Dr. Brown says. “Anything a patient thinks is an emergency should be treated as such and that person should seek treatment.”
North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo is a Level II Trauma Center that serves as a regional referral center for both trauma and medical patients for northeast Mississippi. NMMC patients arrive by helicopter, ambulance and personal vehicle.
Whether you call your health care provider or go to a hospital’s Emergency Department, you can help by having information about your past health history and current medications available.
“I tell all patients to take a list of their medications, medical conditions and treatments done and take it with them everywhere—it’s so important,” Dr. Noggle says. “Your doctor may have to make a quick decision regarding your care. The more information they have, the better choices they can make for your care.”
While emergency physicians are important in times of medical crises, Dr. Noggle says it is important that people have a personal doctor for their routine problems.
“Some patients use the emergency room as a family doctor but the best care for routine problems is having a family physician,” Dr. Noggle says. “Emergency medicine is excellent for treatment but there’s no one-on-one follow up. I treat your condition and I don’t see you again. A family physician sees you again and makes sure it works.”
Sidebar
What’s free, simple, convenient and provides answers to your health concerns whether you’re calling from home, the golf course or a campsite? Nurse Link®, a free community service offered by North Mississippi Medical Center.
The service, staffed by registered nurses, assists callers with health information, offers triage for symptom-based calls and makes recommendations by utilizing a physician approved, computerized protocol system and reference materials.
Nurse Link is available by calling 1-800-882-6274 from 7 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The service was introduced in 1995 as a special benefit for individuals covered by Health Link. The initial response was so overwhelming that NMMC increased staffing and offered the service to the public in 1996.
The triage nurse remains on the line with the caller until all care instructions have been explained and questions answered.
Through the years, thousands of callers have utilized this valuable health care resource. Nurse Link directs patients to seek immediate care in emergencies and educates patients so they can make informed decisions on their health care options.
For answers to your health questions and concerns, call Nurse Link® at 1-800-882-6274.
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