Texas Regional Medical Center’s tips for less stressful ER visits

(SUNNYVALE-January 29, 2013) In these hectic times, especially as Dallas-Fort Worth endures more and more flu cases, emergency rooms are busy places. Here are some hints from Texas Regional Medical Center at Sunnyvale to make those trips to emergency rooms a little easier:

Go before the roosters wake up

Pre-dawn visits to the ER, those between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., may not sound appealing to sick patients. However, often, that’s when patient traffic in an emergency room is the lightest and those with mild medical ailments can be seen sooner.

“Although we are always ready and available to provide emergency care, there are times that are busier than others,” said Dr. Reece Brockman, medical director of TRMC-Sunnyvale’s emergency department and a member of Innovative Emergency Physicians of Sunnyvale. “Evenings are the busiest times, and weekends and Mondays are typically the busiest days for emergency departments.”

Make a list and know your medical history

Before a medical emergency occurs, take time to list all your family’s medications, supplements and medical history.

“Keep the list in your wallet and put another copy in a safe, easily accessible place in your home,” Brockman said.

Know your family doctor

Be prepared to give ER nurses and physicians the name and phone number of your family’s primary care physician. If you don’t have one, find one before a medical emergency occurs; routine visits to primary care physicians are essential to maintaining good health.

Are they really emergencies?

ERs should never serve as substitutes for visits to primary care physicians. ER physicians rule out immediate, life-threatening ailments. Go to primary care physicians for more chronic conditions, sore throats or common colds.

About Texas Regional Medical Center at Sunnyvale

Texas Regional Medical Center at Sunnyvale is a 70-bed hospital committed to offering the finest medical services to those in Dallas County, Rockwall County and the surrounding communities. The regional medical center offers well-trained physicians, nurses and other medical professionals, as well as a full array of state-of-the-art medical equipment and a growing list of medical services.