The first problem you may face is getting current information on your or your family member's medical condition. Understanding how to ask for information and who to ask is important to getting the earliest and most accurate information possible. Here is a guide for your use.

A.   Ask the right person.  Obviously your emergency room or treating doctor, if available, is the first person you would want to talk to. If that person on request will see you as the victim or family member, then by all means discuss your concerns immediately with that person. However, recognize that if it is at the emergency center, these doctors are sometimes dealing with life and death trauma constantly and until they have a moment, you will have to wait. Therefore unless it is an unusually calm night, the chances of the doctor speaking with you immediately will be more difficult. I have seen families of patients waiting hours for any information while the patient is actually stable and resting.

If the doctor is not available, many times the treating or assigned nurse would be happy to provide you with some information. Ask to speak to the nurse when she has a moment, and the chances are sometimes very good that the nurse can tell you the current status of the patient.

Many hospitals and emergency rooms have critical care personnel specifically assigned to be an information coordinator. Ask the front desk if they have a critical care coordinator that you can speak to. While typically not a nurse or medical practitioner, they are trained to speak to the medical staff between emergencies and at least get you an update or status of the patient.

If the family member has a power of attorney for medical condition form and that person is available either by phone or in person, medical staff must accept the power of attorney form and make it a part of the medical file. Also there is a reluctance to keep information from this person and medical staff are more likely to cooperate with a request for status or condition, since this person may be asked for permission to grant certain kinds of treatment.

Almost all family doctor can get information immediately. Therefore consider notifying the family doctor of the emergency and the information you need. They can call and get put through quickly sometimes and relay information to you.

B.   How you ask can be more important than who you ask:  Doctors and nurses in critical condition wards are often trying to prioritize and manage many critical patients at one time. Most victims and their family are therefore at the mercy of the schedule of the doctor, or nurse. These professionals have seen a lot of agony and despair. Your case or that of your family member is not unique. These professionals are somewhat immune to the effects of the condition of the patient, and also of the horror the family is experiencing when information is not free flowing.

Trying to be aggressive, demanding, threatening malpractice or "I will call my attorney" are of little value. In fact, it is my experience that such an approach may actually hinder information flow to the family or victim. Therefore how you ask is important. Appoint one family member to be the person to go to. It must be by law a family member or attorney for health care decisions.

Try to contrast yourself from the normal person in the emergency room situation. You must speak calmly, so many do not. You must act professional, as a professional is more likely to be responsive to you. Asking a specific question of a staff member to ask the doctor, and report back to you, is helpful. As an example you may say;

"My mother is in the e/r name ______ and admitted 30 minutes ago for an auto accident. We really have no information and have been waiting all 30 minutes. They advised on the phone that she was critical and to come immediately as she may not last long, but since arrival we have not been consulted. I know that the doctor will come out when he feels it is time and also a break from all his patient schedule, but could you ask him to advise through you whether she is stable or still so critical that we should be worried." Most staff members would love this approach and want to help since you are the opposite of their normal interaction.

Don't demand non-critical information. If you or your family member is stable, waiting is sometimes more helpful, but you can ask "when the doctor (or nurse) has time, we would like more information. Can you relay that to the doctor." Putting people to work for you because they want to help you and appreciate your approach is more successful than arguing and showing attitude.

Anger, frustration, impatience are all a hallmark of emergency room life, so contrast yourself from that person and you will get more specific results. Also call a competent accident attorney. While you may have more information by the time one arrives, many times, a consult request from an attorney prompts the nurse or doctor to answer questions more readily. Note that no attorney can talk to your doctor or the victims doctor without having authorizations signed and a retainer, even if it is a family attorney, so don't expect miracles on the phone in the Emergency room.

The Auto accident victim is out of critical care, but still needs information:

You are out of the emergency room and you now are coherent, but you still are in the dark about your condition. What shall you do?

The hardest thing for some people in this situation is the waiting. However, recognize that sometimes, the doctors and nurses do not have all the answers yet and are awaiting information before consulting with you. In these types of cases, there are several things you can do to specifically assure you of information when it becomes available.

Ask in writing that you be awakened when any specialist come to see you. In this way, you have made it a part of your chart that you want to be present and alert when consultation occurs. If you or your family member is medicated and will not be coherent, ask that a note be placed in the chart authorizing the family member to be called to the room, or at home during or immediately after the consult. The family member will then be contacted after any consult what ever the time. Additionally, you can inform the nurse you want to be alerted., Nurses can be your ally.

Do write down questions that you need the answer to and give them to the nurse. Anything you give to the nurse and which is now a part of the medical record calls to concern the need for a response.

Note that nurses chart every hourly visit to each patient, discussing how the patient is doing and the patient comments on pain etc. If questions are asked, a good nurse will note these questions and give more information to the doctor when he consults. You are more likely to get responses more rapidly. Again just ask those things you really need to know, because someone constantly asking questions about things that are not important to the care and welfare of the person will likely discourage further updates.

Always speak to your specialist, orthopedist or surgeon personally where possible. Whether by phone or otherwise, comments by these doctors can give rise to other questions you may have and will give you an opportunity to get the information you need.