One of my characters is in the hospital to be checked out after mugged/beaten. Would he be treated and released the same day? Or would he be held overnight for observation? He was conscious when found by police at the scene (the assailant didn't get the chance to beat him into unconsciousness). He was beaten in the early evening (around 8-ish), found by the police and brought to the hospital to be checked out and then called his friends about 3-4 in the morning. Would they release him at this point, given that he has a ride home and people to keep an eye on him the next day?
Hospital Procedure: Mugging/Beating
- Thread starter dirtsider
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I this in the USA? If he was not uncouscious when he came in – if he could walk in on his own – they'd have his ass out of there ASAP. They'd probably keep him a couple of hours, check his pupil reaction a few times, clean up his wounds and bandage them, maybe give him something to prevent infections then release him, even if he didn't have people to watch over him.
This wouldn't make it out of emergency. NOBODY gets to stay overnight unless they were unconscious, had been found unconscious or if the pupils of the eyes were dialating. Or if they're over 75 years old.
Even with scheduled surgery, they have you in, out and home in hours. My husband had hernia surgery at 8:00 am and by noon, they had released him into a blizzard.
Don't forget that when he comes in, they're going to get him to give his insurance card and all that other info. If he doesn't have insurance, they'll get a social worker to let him know about the thousands of dollars this is going to cost. If he would stay overnigh for observation, we're possibly talking $10k or more.
Of course, the doctors and nurses will be first-rate, kind and concerned and will give instructions to his friends what to watch for and when to bring him back.
Does that help>?>
This wouldn't make it out of emergency. NOBODY gets to stay overnight unless they were unconscious, had been found unconscious or if the pupils of the eyes were dialating. Or if they're over 75 years old.
Even with scheduled surgery, they have you in, out and home in hours. My husband had hernia surgery at 8:00 am and by noon, they had released him into a blizzard.
Don't forget that when he comes in, they're going to get him to give his insurance card and all that other info. If he doesn't have insurance, they'll get a social worker to let him know about the thousands of dollars this is going to cost. If he would stay overnigh for observation, we're possibly talking $10k or more.
Of course, the doctors and nurses will be first-rate, kind and concerned and will give instructions to his friends what to watch for and when to bring him back.
Does that help>?>
Yes and Yes. It's in the US and he does have insurance or at least enough money to afford his own insurance. And it works for the scene. I'm thinking the longest part would be trying to get in touch with his friends (the MC's) because they're bartenders working the closing shift, which means they wouldn't be on the phone until after 2-ish in the morning. Which, of course, works in my favor so that he'd be patched up and processed by both the cops taking his statement and the hospital staff cleaning him up.
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6 hours is plenty of time (assuming the ER is not swamped and that they do have adequate staff)for them to do a few CT scans, check labs and serial vitals, even sew a few minor lacerations if you want and they'd have called (or should have) an on call Dr for the patient to follow up with in a few days. Larger ER's can have their own ER follow up clinic for non chronic things.
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