June 04, 2010 01:49am EST 

For many, their next experience in a hospital emergency room may be their first. The emergency room is a place where time is more valuable than money. As such, it tends to run much differently than other areas of the hospital.
Emergency physicians are specially trained to treat emergency medical conditions. They work one of the most hectic jobs in the world — do what you can to help them help you. Remember these 5 things for your next visit to a hospital emergency room:
1. You may face a long waiting time
Each hospital has a triage system that determines what medical conditions and, therefore, patients, to treat. The priority of a life-and-death situation outweighs that of a broken arm. As such, an emergency does not work in a first-come, first-served basis. Keep in mind that every minute you wait, there is somebody else who needs more attention whose life may be saved. The hospital staff understands your frustration that comes with a long waiting period. However, since hospital emergency rooms treat millions per year, it is becoming increasingly tougher to keep the waiting time short.
2. Plan ahead for your visit
Take a little time out of your life to prepare for a medical emergency. That is, make a document that lists your prescription or herbal medicines, as well as any drug allergies or pertinent family health history. The aforementioned busyness of the emergency room means that there will be less time for you, the patient, to get your symptoms to your physician. The more information the emergency physician has about your health, the better he or she can diagnose and treat the medical condition that brought you to the emergency room in the first place.
3. You may need additional help
At times, emergency physicians will require the help of other specialists (a cardiologist, for example). Fortunately, emergency physicians are specially trained to assign the right help to treat your particular medical condition. Emergency physicians are specialists themselves — they are quick thinking and flexible and are trained to treat all types of medical emergencies.
4. Understand what an emergency room is for
Many patients enter the hospital emergency room for general health care such as physicals or vaccines. The hospital emergency room is there to help you with emergency acute care, not to check whether or not you are allergic to peanuts. When you show up at the emergency room, make sure you are able to tell the physician specific, descriptive symptoms. Dispense the information that your physician needs as quickly as possible.
5. Take care of yourself, even after leaving the emergency room
The hospital emergency room directs patients in the right direction with medication, treatment, and advice. Make sure that you understand your diagnosis and treatment plan from your emergency physician before you leave the emergency room. Always inquire about follow up care, medication plans, or activity restrictions. Keeping an open communication between your physician will allow better care.