According to a report by the Government Accountability Office in 2009, the average wait time in an emergency room in the US in some cases was almost double the recommended time. That same year, Press Ganey Associates found that patients who were admitted to a hospital had to wait an average of six hours in the emergency room. Approximately 400,000 patients had to wait 24 hours or more.

Arizona medical malpractice attorneys are familiar with the serious risk to patient lives and safety when they have unreasonable wait times in a hospital emergency room. However, there are some things that you can do to avoid long wait times.

Don't wait for an emergency to find out that your hospital ER is always cramped. Find out the average wait times of hospital emergency rooms closest to you. Many hospital emergency rooms now post their average wait times on their websites to inform patients about wait times.

Visit an ER on these days only if it’s a real emergency. If possible, avoid visiting a hospital emergency room on high-traffic days like Mondays. Mondays can typically be very busy for emergency rooms, because many people who fall sick over the weekend walk into ERs on a Monday.

Be proactive, and coordinate your own medical care. It's always a good idea to call your physician on the way to the ER, and recount your symptoms. The physician can then contact the ER, and explain your symptoms, so you can expect better care.

When faced with a long line at the hospital emergency room, it doesn't pay to be rude or angry. Be cooperative, but persistent.

Even as you're waiting, inform others or someone else about any changes in the patient's symptoms. Even a slight change in temperature or persistent weakness should be brought to the attention of nursing staff.

If you still have not been attended to after a certain period of time, ask for the charge nurse or the shift supervisor. Use words like “emergency” and “needs to be evaluated right away” to have your concerns taken more seriously.