Key Takeaways:
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findERnow is an important app for your family. We hope it gives you the comfort of knowing you will be able to find the nearest emergency room with the tap of a button, regardless of the situation.
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This app can be extremely useful while on vacation, in an unfamiliar area near one’s hometown, during rush hour, and when searching for an emergency department that contains a burn unit, a trauma unit, or is specialized for pediatric patients.
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This app is backed by the EMNet National Emergency Department Inventory Database at Massachusetts General Hospital and it is updated regularly to contain the most accurate information.
As a society living in the digital age, we inherently expect information to be at our fingertips and available almost immediately. Information regarding our health is one of the most crucial pieces of information. However, when things go wrong or the unexpected occurs, the stress of the situation could cause you or your loved ones to lose precious time in seeking care. With findERnow, you can quickly identify the nearest ERs based on either driving time or driving distance. Here are a few more ways that findERnow could be useful for your family:
Traveling or across town
No one can predict when a healthcare emergency strikes and unfortunately these emergencies can happen when traveling or simply in an area of town that you might be unfamiliar with. Every year there are millions of ER visits including life threatening trauma accidents, overdoses, allergic reactions, and choking episodes just to name a few. For allergic reactions alone there are over 900,000 people that visit the ER each year and 90-100 deaths occur each year in the United States due to insect sting anaphylaxis.1,2 Without the unpredictable nature of emergencies, being able to locate, and drive to, the nearest emergency department is very valuable, and the findERnow app makes this easily possible.
Traffic
Almost everyone in the U.S. is impacted by traffic every year. Unpredictable or rush hour traffic can keep you from quickly seeking emergency care for your family. The “List” feature in findERnow allows you to sort nearby ERs based on current driving time – including traffic – to help save you valuable time.
Not all ERs offer the same services
Not all emergencies are created equal and not all ERs are created equal either. Whether it’s pediatrics, burns, or trauma – each of these emergency categories can require specialized care that is not available universally. Fortunately, with the findERNow app you can easily identify which ERs are more likely to be prepared to care for the needs of the emergency. Within findERnow, you can quickly find which ERs are verified pediatric/adult trauma centers and burn centers. This not only leads to the patient receiving the most specialized care for their individual needs, but it also reduces the amount of transfers between hospitals. Hospital transfers can cost a lot of money and expend a lot of resources and time. By limiting transfers it not only ensures that the patient gets the specialized care they need in the shortest amount of time but it also limits financial burden. In addition to being able to see what ERs offer these services, you can also see the annual volume of patients each ER treats. Users can consider this information when locating a nearby ER.
Useful features in the app for families:
Citations
- American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Types of Allergies: Insect Stings. http://acaai.org/allergies/types/insect-sting-allergies (Retrieved April 30 2020)
- Kelly M, Donnelly JP, Mcannally J-R, Wang HE. National estimates of emergency department visits for angioedema and allergic reactions in the United States. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. 2013;34(2):150-154. doi:10.2500/aap.2013.34.3640.