CRISIS NO. 1: A PATIENT WITH A MEDICAL EMERGENCYOf course you call 911, but what do you and your staff do before the medics arrive?Act on your plan. Yes, you have an emergency kit, but do you update it regularly? This is one headache I have never wanted to deal with, so we found a company — this was many years ago — that updates the contents of our kit on an annual basis. That update must include EpiPens, despite their cost. A patient of ours, unbeknownst to himself, was allergic to fluorescein dye. He came to the practice for a consultation with our retina specialist. A moment or so after he was injected with the dye, he went into severe anaphylactic shock. Having an up-to-date EpiPen saved this person’s life.But our medical plan calls for more than pulling out the emergency kit. To avoid chaos, only certain staff members are involved in emergency situations. Usually one technician calls 911, and one to two go in with the doctor. Also, be cognizant of the other patients in the office; they need reassurance. Moreover, if their appointments are going to be delayed, they need to be told.
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