Dr. Arthur Pancioli thinks often about that very ill patient in your waiting room who should instead be in an emergency room. As chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, he says the university clinics see many very ill patients who are on the precipice of a medical emergency.
“Administering proper care at the onset of medical emergencies is vitally important and could be life-saving,” says Dr. Pancioli, who is a HealthFirst Medical Advisory Board member.
“It is up to you the doctor to ensure that the story of their survival has a proper start,” he says. “We often hear that it isn’t necessary to have emergency supplies on hand. But it only takes one occurrence when you are not ready, to leave a permanent impact on the lives of your patient, their loved ones, and yourself.”
Basic Emergency Medical Response Setup
Dr. Pancioli describes the basic elements of readiness that is appropriate to all medical offices:
- An emergency medical kit with up-to-date drugs and devices appropriate to the level of emergency medical care that you are qualified to provide
- An automated external defibrillator (AED)
- A portable oxygen system
- Training in basic life support
