Do you ever wonder how many CPT deficient people have gone to the emergency room for help only to discover that none of the physicians on duty has heard of CPT deficiency?
To help relieve the anxiety of placing yourself, rare disorder and all, into the hands of a white-coated stranger, try these suggestions:
Carry a small notebook that contains a brief description of diagnosis, medical history, medications, and your physician’s name. Patients report that written information carries more credibility.
Carry an emergency protocol written for you by your physician. It may include diagnosis, symptoms, triggers, history of emergency situations, as well as treatment guidelines for crisis.
Be informed about your disorder. You may be able to prevent complications by tactfully offering information, or if necessary, by refusing suggestions you know would be harmful.
GET ME THAT WEB SITE, STAT!
ER doctors can’t memorize all 18,000 diagnoses that could cross their paths, let alone how to treat them. They usually don’t have the luxury of time to run to the medical library or read through a voluminous medical chart. Now emergency doctors are beginning to catch up with their patients and recognize that the Web can provide invaluable information quickly. “Lives have been saved by rapid access to resources available online,” says ER physician Jonathan Handler. Currently, about one-third of U.S. emergency departments have Internet access, according to one survey.
–Source: USA Today, Sept 18, 2000