Cullman Regional Medical Center: Emergency Services.

Emergency Services

The administration, physicians and staff are proud that you have chosen Cullman Regional Medical Center for your health care needs. Please understand that our goal is to provide the best, state-of-the-art health care in a timely fashion. However, there are times in which the Emergency Room experiences a high volume of patients. During these times, the waiting time spent in the E.R. can increase.

The following information will provide you and your family with information that will hopefully allow you to understand the functions of the triage nurse, care based on the severity of illness, the time needed in performing important diagnostic tests and the importance of follow-up care after the patient leaves the emergency room.

What Is A Triage Nurse?
The triage nurse is responsible for assessing all the patients that come into the ER through the public entrance. He or she will use skills taught to them during their long educational training and seminars. If a patient has an illness or injury that is not severe in nature, you will be seating in the lobby. The nursing staff will be given your completed chart and as soon as an appropriate room for your condition is available, you will be escorted to that room.

Please understand that at times, serious patients may come into the ER after you and these patients will be given priority over patients with less severe conditions. Conditions that are severe in nature may include: bleeding that is uncontrolled, difficulty breathing, heart conditions and overdoses of medications. If you feel that your condition changes while you are waiting, please ask the triage nurse to re-evaluate your condition. We want all patients to receive the best care possible in the shortest amount of time.

If The Lobby Is Fairly Empty, Why Am I Waiting?
Cullman Regional Medical Center is growing rapidly. With our growth, comes increased numbers of patients that are brought to this facility via ambulances. Many of these patients are from accidents, nursing homes and from other facilities that now depend on CRMC to provide expert health care that they are unable to provide. It is not uncommon in the ER to receive two or more patients in one ambulance from accidents or to receive multiple patient transfers each shift from other health care facilities. Since the ambulance entrance is separated from the public entrance, you may not be aware of the number of patients needing care that have come into the hospital in this manner.

The Doctor Ordered Tests. What Is The Wait?
Once the doctor has examined a patient, he or she will then order appropriate tests to help determine the reason for your condition.

Lab tests vary greatly in how complex the process is that determines the final results. Some tests are very time consuming and can take up to one hour to complete.

X-Rays, usually can be obtained in a short period of time, but often take time to develop. Then a doctor and/or Radiologist will take time to interpret the x-rays.

Please be aware that we monitor ourselves constantly. Our goal is to provide care that will help resolve your condition or injury and care that will have you back at home in the shortest amount of time possible.

While You Wait...
Everyone needs to keep good records of his or her medical history. This helps the doctors and nurses provide the best care possible and will make a difference in the time it takes for you to provide that history to our health care professionals. Please take the time to fill out the information below and keep it with you so that if you need services in the future, you will have your history already prepared. Each time your medications or conditions change, make updated entries and bring it with you to the hospital, including:

Past Medical History

Surgeries

Allergies

Current Medications

Family Doctor

Emergency Contacts

After You Arrive Home...
The discharge instructions that the doctor and nurses give you is very important information. Following these instructions could prevent you from having a return visit to the Emergency Room. Should a complication arise, either return to the ER or call your doctor. In some cases, simply calling your doctor could prevent you from coming back to the hospital. It is also important that you make an appointment with your doctor or the doctor you were referred to for a follow-up visit. A follow-up visit is to make sure that your injury or illness is healing. The prescriptions that are given to you should be filled as soon as possible after leaving the ER If you have a problem with your medication, call the pharmacist that filled the prescriptions. They can answer any questions you may have about your medicine.