Posted by
wuga
19 yrs ago
i have had something bothering me for about a month. it doesn't seem serious but it hasn't gone away. i am considering going to the ER because my gp has already checked me out.
i have insurance but i'd like people to give any kind of info regarding a visit to the ER and which hospital is recommended
thanks.
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ER as in "Emergency Room" where people who have emergencies go? To be used as an alternative GP consultation?
I would suggest, if you feel your GP is not helping you much, that you either:
a) request a referral to an appropriate specialist or
b) seek out a better GP
On the other hand, if you want to wait 3-6 hours, and see an unqualified doctor (they are trained as ER doctors, and have the communication skills of a slug, as they have not been trained in GP consultation methods - and I know - I used to be associate professor at HKU teaching medical students communication skills) then by all means seek out any. Try Queen Mary - the hospital is excellent. But expect a 3 minute consultation, a referral to a specialist scheduled for about 12-18 months later (to be reviewed by a clerk later to see if it is a true emergency) and the usual 5 bags of pills.
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wuga
19 yrs ago
wow, thanks for the information. the medical system here in hk is so strange and confusing at times. at least if i went to the ER in the US, they'd bring in a staff specialist if judged to be serious
i've already put a call into my gp to give me a referral to a cardiologist. by the way, are you a GP or a specialist, if so, what area?
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I would skip ERs in HK unless you truly have an emergency situation. A friend who is a surgeon in private practice used to work in public hospitals and he commented on the incompetence of the ER staff in the hospital he worked for. A personal experience I had was my husband who got sand in his eye and we were unable to get it out using the usual methods ie flushing it out with saline blowing it out etc. We didn't get anywhere so I drove him to the emergency room of a public hospital in Kwun Tong (don't remember the name). The doctor said there wasn't anything in there and my husband probably scratched his cornea when rubbing his eye. We were told to go home and he was sent home with an eye patch. The next morning, my husband felt worse than before and he went to our usual GP. The GP found what was stuck in his eye and he knew exactly what the doctor in a public hospital didn't do which was why he couldn't find it.
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1/3 of ER attendance in HK are not for E reasons. They will be sweeped aside to a 5 hour wait and a referral. You don't even get 5 bags of pills now. ER is not the place to sort out complicated problems. You do that with a good family doctor.
But then I don't think it is entirely fair for docboat to classify ER doctors as 'unqualified'. No doc is born qualified and we all have our learning curve. Come to think of it, shouldn't they get better after coaching by qualified docs like docboat?
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Hah! I - as said - used to be involved in the training. It is all well and good having knowledge, but if you cannot communicate (understand what is _really_ being said and to make your partner understand what you _really_ said) then the knowledge is less useful. A good GP should be trained in the art of listening. You know you are at the wrong doctor if s/he speaks more than listens.
As for unqualified - if you want to be resuscitated from an acute MI or RTA, then ER is great, and you most certainly do have qualified doctors there. If you are expecting a qualified GP, then you will be sorely disappointed. I, on the other hand, although I have done my stint at ER, and used to be a dab hand in cardiology at inserting internal pacemakers at midnight into very sick right ventricles, am most certainly not a qualified ER physician. You have to know the right people for the right job. So you are right - it is not entirely fair to say "unqualified" - but it does keep the post down to size.
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wuga
19 yrs ago
thanks everyone...interesting feedback about the medical system in hk. i guess it goes along with everything else i'm trying to understand about hk.
from what i've read i hope i never have to use the ER. my GP seems top notch (and of course i pay top notch price, but it's worth it!)
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No wuga, in the US, the ER just deal with the acute issue and send you out. If they do more, it's because the ER guys is feeling nice that day. They will see you, realize that you are using the ER as a GP's office, curse you silently since you are " abusing the sytem" (and you are), and call you a name after your leave the ER, and tell their collegue about the jerk they just saw.
Having to see people who use the ER in lieu of a GP visit is the number one complaint that ER doctors have about their job. I work at many hospitals and at least 90 percent of ER doctors's is this (by the way, I never hear ER doctors complain about people who don't/can't pay their bills). They view people who use the ER as a GP office in the same cateogory as the drug addict who comes in asking for drugs. The exception is the people who have no insurance and no money and the ER is the ONLY place that they can get medical care.
Based on what I hear, the ER's in the far east are much more tolerant of "ER abuse" than the ones in the US.
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