What Should I Bring to the ER? An Emergency Physician’s Essential Checklist

The ER Doctor’s Essential Checklist: What to Bring for a Smooth Visit

1. A Government Issued ID
   • This is to get you properly registered so the medical team can access your medical record
2. Health insurance card and information
   • This is to have your visit covered if that is part of your plan
3. A list of current medications, including dosages, frequency, and when they were last taken
   • The medication list in your record may not be up to date and the nurse and/or pharmacist will want to know your most accurate list
4. A summary of medical conditions, allergies, and past surgeries
   • This is particularly important if you are at an ER with a different electronic medical charting system than your primary care team
5. A copy of recent test results
   • This helps your providers compare your current results with prior results, a very important part of your evaluation
6. Any advance directives, such as a healthcare proxy or living will
   • Make sure that the ER has this on record in the event it is needed at this visit or in the future
7. Contact information for your primary care physician and specialists
   • There are situations when the ER medical team may need to reach out to your primary care or specialist providers
8. A phone charger or extra battery pack
   • You may have access to an outlet but the cord may not reach your bed and a battery pack would be particularly helpful
9. A notepad and pen to take notes during discussions with doctors
10. Glasses, hearing aids, or other essential medical devices
    • It’s very frustrating for a patient when they’ve forgotten their hearing aids or glasses and can’t hear or see their care team. On occasion these are left in the ER so label anything you are not wearing or any cases you have with your name and birthdate
11. Snacks and water (if permitted)
    • Before you eat or drink, be sure to ask your provider. Some tests require you not to have eaten prior to the exam and if you may potentially need surgery it could delay your care if you eat in the ER.
12. A small bag with personal items if an overnight stay is possible
    • The hospital can typically provide some items but consider bringing your toothbrush, toothpaste, contact cases, contact solution, chapstick, and other small items.
13. Activities to pass the time
    • Sometimes your waiting room or ER room stay can stretch into hours or even days due to system backlogs, volume, and acuity of other patients.