Crisis in the ER: what smart patients need to know: endless waits, beds crowded into hallways, no specialists on call--in today's emergency rooms, you can't trust you will get the right care. But you can improve your chances. Here, insiders share what just might save you or your family.(emergency room)

From: Good Housekeeping | Date: April 1, 2008| Author: | Copyright information

On June 1, 2004, Norma Jean Chiulli was doing errands in her hometown of Rockland, MA, when she became so ill--with nausea, abdominal pain, and an overall "horrible feeling"--that she had her mother drive her to a nearby clinic. Doctors thought it was acute appendicitis and called for an ambulance to take Chiulli, then 42, to the hospital. It was 6 P.M. when she arrived. A nurse asked a few questions, then--despite Chiulli's likely diagnosis-wheeled her into the ER waiting room.

Hours dragged by. Other patients came and left. And though her pain steadily worsened, and she was ...

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