Before calling the hospital:
The next task and an important one is choosing the right hospital.
Many people mistakenly call doctors they know or their general physician after an accident. Most of the accident victims need a hospital even if they seem uninjured and this includes you. In a well-equipped hospital, the medical staff would be able to assess the injuries with the required equipment and decide on the best course of action. This is why the hospital you pick is important.
Some hospitals specialize in certain departments. So, if there is a head injury, a hospital with a neurosurgery department is important. For badly broken bones, a good orthopedic department is necessary. If there are kids involved, they should be taken to a hospital with a good pediatric wing. If a pregnant woman was one of the injured, a neonatal wing in the hospital is a wise idea.
Why a multi-specialty hospital?
Amenities the hospital should have:
1. Testing equipment like scans, MRI etc. So, all tests can be done in the hospital, minimizing moving the injured patient. (Since the testing is in-house, the results will be given swiftly in case of an emergency if the consulting specialist requests for it. Any follow up tests can also be done in the same place, making sure there is no location discrepancy.)
2. Well-equipped Operation Theatres.
3. Well-equipped and well-staffed ICU (This is vital because most accident victims more often than not need to be kept in an ICU till they are stable.)
4. A good laboratory (Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pathology) Department
As you can see, it is absolutely important to get an accident victim to a good hospital to make sure that they receive the best possible care.
- The first thing you should do if you are involved in an accident is to check if you are unhurt and can move without much pain.
- If there are others in the vehicle who may be injured, try not to move them, but check to see if they are responding by calling out to them.
(If the accident has occurred in a populated area, there will probably be people around whom you can approach for help. If you are in a remote area, you may have to flag down a passing car for help)
The next task and an important one is choosing the right hospital.
Many people mistakenly call doctors they know or their general physician after an accident. Most of the accident victims need a hospital even if they seem uninjured and this includes you. In a well-equipped hospital, the medical staff would be able to assess the injuries with the required equipment and decide on the best course of action. This is why the hospital you pick is important.
Some hospitals specialize in certain departments. So, if there is a head injury, a hospital with a neurosurgery department is important. For badly broken bones, a good orthopedic department is necessary. If there are kids involved, they should be taken to a hospital with a good pediatric wing. If a pregnant woman was one of the injured, a neonatal wing in the hospital is a wise idea.
- Multi-specialty hospitals deal with a variety of issues.
- These hospitals have many departments, each with experienced doctors, who are specialists in their field.
- Another advantage of multi-specialty hospitals is that specialists can consult with one another.
(For example, if the accident victim has heart problems and a head injury, they may need to consult with a cardiologist and a neurologist. The patient does not have to be moved to consult the different doctors) - The tests done on a patient are also available on the hospital database and the doctor can pull them up on their screen to study them.
- In the OR, if an emergency consult is needed due to some unforeseeable problem, a specialist is only minutes away and can get to the operating room in no time at all, to pitch in.
Amenities the hospital should have:
1. Testing equipment like scans, MRI etc. So, all tests can be done in the hospital, minimizing moving the injured patient. (Since the testing is in-house, the results will be given swiftly in case of an emergency if the consulting specialist requests for it. Any follow up tests can also be done in the same place, making sure there is no location discrepancy.)
2. Well-equipped Operation Theatres.
3. Well-equipped and well-staffed ICU (This is vital because most accident victims more often than not need to be kept in an ICU till they are stable.)
4. A good laboratory (Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pathology) Department
As you can see, it is absolutely important to get an accident victim to a good hospital to make sure that they receive the best possible care.
