3 ms·

They can hold you for that? Why?

• Scoundreller 7y ago
  Usually you can be held if you’re a threat to yourself or others. Which is probably what got you taken to the ED in the first place.
• arkades 7y ago
  They can't "hold you" in the sense of denying you the ability to leave against medical advice. "Harm to self or others" is a whole different category of hold and no one is doing it for a random drunk in the ER. However, if you're waiting for an actual discharge from the ER, it's common to hold onto the patient until their BAC is under the legal limit, do another quick neuro exam, and then start discharge procedures. The idea here is "the patient is almost certainly just drunk, but it's not impossible they have an underlying problem such as hepatic encephalopathy. So I'm going to wait for them to sober up enough that I can tell the difference between 'drunk' and 'underlying altered mental status' before I start discharge. The time it will take the discharge to go through will be enough to get their BAC to 0, and I will therefore not be liable if they walk out of the ER and fall and crack their head."
  • snagglegaggle 7y ago
    > However, if you're waiting for an actual discharge from the ER To me this implies they can hold you, as I can't just walk out whenever I want? Why? I feel no compulsion to be held so that they can minimize their liability.
    • vertex-four 7y ago
      You can walk out whenever you want against medical advice. This is different from being discharged, which is when a doctor says "you're probably ok to go home" and fills out some paperwork to that effect.
    • xbmcuser 7y ago
      It's about liability you go without doctors permission and something happens it's on you. If the doctor's says you are good to go and the something happens the the doctor and hospital will face the liability.