Opinion
Fact or fiction: the real emergency room
Stephanie Lindauer
May 11, 2007 - 1:35:21 AM

Approaching the ER, there’s a mad rush of people. Inside, the waiting room is filled with assorted illnesses and injuries. Patients are raced to back, but the rooms are all full. They are forced to sit in the replacement room, a mobile cot. It’s not long before their saving-grace appears to save the day. Looking around, doctors, nurses, patients, friends, and family flow in and out of rooms quickly.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Most likely, one is thinking of the popular and long running TV show: ER. However, compare this scene and the scene of a real emergency room, and it is obvious: the two are definite discrepancies.

An actual ER is completely different. It’s more likely to be described as calm, rather than chaotic. So, what is the real ER like?

"I work in a hospital much like the one in the show ER. That being said, there is no dramatic music being piped in during a trauma. We see in one week what the show depicts in a day. Every once in a while, we will have a really crazy shift that mirrors the show very well. There is also not nearly the same amount of soap opera dramatics going on between the staff," said Jason Wagner, ER doctor at Barnes Jewish Hospital and LHS parent.

Many have heard stories of four-hour trips to the hospital just to get stitches. This wait seems outrageous. What criteria determines whether a patient is in urgent need of medical attention?

"If we are really busy and you are here for the sniffles, you will wait all night. Patients wait up to 12 hours to be seen sometimes. Patients can be in our ER, waiting for a hospital bed,- for up to two days. This is rare, but it does happen. Some problems like chest pain, or ‘I got shot’ require more immediate attention than others," said Wagner.

Personal experiences exploit Emergency Room procedures in an unfavorable way.

"I had to wait like three hours before getting staples at Children’s Hospital. They had to put me in a straight jacket to do them," said Tony Nawrocki (11).

ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, and House, illustrate a false image of actual hospitals. They paint a picture of pandemonium surrounding every bedside, around every curtain. So, why depict this fictitious setting?

Writers accommodate the scene of the ER to heighten drama with panic to make the show more exciting. It makes people’s blood rush and increases anxiety. It’s the type of thing that draws viewers back in for every show. Or, it’s maybe just to give the public hope they will receive this same concentrated attention when rushed to the hospital.

Be wise when deciding which hospital to seek help, and if it’s an emergency, be persistent.