In case of emergency, here’s what doctors need from you

When Alisa Montgomery got a call late one night last October at her Dunwoody home, she wasn’t prepared for what she was about to hear.

Her 68-year-old dad, Ray, who also lives in Dunwoody, was visiting Montgomery’s sister just outside Chicago. He’d had what they thought was a stroke and had just been rushed to a nearby hospital.

But they were at a standstill.

“My sister wasn’t familiar at all with all my dad’s medical history because they’ve lived so far apart for so long,” Montgomery said. “Other than looking through his travel bags to see if she could find any prescription bottles, she really didn’t have any idea of what all to tell them about my dad’s medical history.”

Montgomery had to scramble to try to get some of his medical records and list of prescriptions from Ray’s provider in Atlanta. That wasn’t easy. And she didn’t have the luxury of time.

Getting prepared

In a medical emergency, every minute counts. Medical providers say putting a system in place to help you be proactive could potentially save a life.

Dr. Brian McNiece, a family practitioner with Clocktower Medical Group, said doctors in hospitals and emergency rooms across the country see patients on a daily basis who can’t communicate effectively with medical providers, making it tough to assess and properly treat their needs.

“They may have had a stroke or a heart attack and can’t speak to emergency room staff,” he said. “There are things you do in emergency medicine that are the best things to do at the time. But if we knew the full picture we might modify that care.”

The full picture, he said, includes a few very important things.

Current and accurate list of medications: McNiece said a list of medications a patient is taking can help doctors determine what their chronic conditions are. This would include prescriptions, their instructions and dosages.

Allergies: This one’s extremely important. Allergies to food, medications and anything else can be vital information for medical providers.

Advance directives: “Do we do CPR? Do we resuscitate? Do we intubate? These are things that are important for us to know,” McNiece said.

Personal information: This includes birth date and health insurance, among other information. It’s a good idea to make copies of documents and keep them in a secure place.

Medical providers: Make a list of all your providers including your general practitioner and specialists as well as any notes that could be important.

McNiece suggested that everyone, including older adults, keep this information somewhere on their phone where it can be accessed if they’re unable to speak or communicate with doctors. These lists can also be kept on a loved one’s or a caregiver’s phone. It could help doctors provide the best care possible in an emergency.