Resources for Consumers

All consumers should be prepared and understand what to expect from a trip to the emergency department. To help you plan ahead, use the following checklist and emergency preparedness worksheet:

When to Go to the ED
The emergency department is best used for urgent care needs but not for regular medical attention that can be conducted through a regularly scheduled physician appointment. Using the emergency department for non-urgent issues is not cost- or time-effective for the patient or the emergency department.

General Facts From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• 119.2 million people visit the emergency department in the United States each year.
• The most commonly diagnosed conditions: injury and poisoning.
• The most frequent injuries were unintentional falls (20.3%) and motor vehicle traffic accidents (9.5%).
• Only 15.4% of patients arrive by ambulance.
• Approximately 227 people visit a U.S. emergency department every minute.
• The age group with the highest annual per capita emergency department visit rate was infants under 12 months of age.
• Persons aged 75 years and older had the second highest per capita emergency department visit rate.