Before You Leave the ER: Questions About Medicines, Results, and Follow-Up

Published: October 15, 2026. Updated: October 15, 2026. Next review: January 13, 2027.

Before you leave the emergency room (ER), ask your care team to explain your written plan. Focus on your medicines, test results still due, next visits, and who to call. This ER discharge checklist helps you ask questions. Your treating team must give the answers for your care.

Get a written plan you understand

Discharge means the end of this hospital visit. Ask for a copy of the instructions, sometimes called an after-visit summary. Keep it where you and anyone helping you can find it. Ask how to get another copy if needed.

Written notes give you something to check after a busy visit. They should reflect your own needs, rather than another person’s plan. AHRQ discharge guidance stresses clear instructions tailored to the patient and shared with caregivers.

If the spoken plan and the paper do not match, point out the difference. Ask the team to explain and correct it. Tell them which part is unclear; you do not need to know the medical term.

Ask the team to explain the plan

Start with: “What did you find during my visit, and what is still uncertain?” Then ask what the team wants you to do next and why. Ask them to explain any limits or care instructions written for you.

Ask about your own “return precautions.” This means the team’s instructions about when and how to get help again. Have the clinician explain those instructions in plain words and put them in your written plan. This page cannot supply a list that fits your situation.

This is called teach-back. AHRQ explains teach-back as a way for staff to check that they explained things clearly. It is a check of the explanation, not a test you must pass. Ask for another explanation if you still feel unsure.

Review medicine names and changes

Ask the clinician to go through your current medicine list with you. MedlinePlus discharge planning calls for clear medicine instructions and attention to new, stopped, or changed medicines.

• Which medicines are new, changed, stopped, or staying the same?
• What is each medicine for, and where are my exact instructions written?
• Which side effects should I ask about, and whom should I contact?
• Does this list account for my allergies, nonprescription medicines, and supplements?
• Was each prescription sent? Which pharmacy received it?

If cost, a closed pharmacy, or getting there may be a problem, tell the team. Ask who can help with access or a prescription problem. Take questions about medicine use to the clinician or pharmacist; this guide cannot resolve them.

Find out which results are still due

Ask whether any tests still have results pending, meaning not yet ready. AHRQ’s discharge toolkit recommends identifying those tests, who will review them, and how the patient will get the results.

For each pending test, ask:

• When do you expect the result?
• Which clinician or team will review it?
• Will someone contact me, or must I call?
• What number should I use if I hear nothing by the date you give me?

Confirm that staff have the right contact details. If results appear in an online patient portal, ask who will explain them. Have a qualified clinician explain what a result means and any next steps.

Make follow-up clear and workable

Follow-up means care after this visit. Ask your team which clinician you need to see, the reason, and the timing for you. There is no single follow-up deadline supplied by this checklist.

Ask whether the appointment is booked or whether you must call. Get the office name and number. Ask what to do if you cannot get a visit within the team’s stated time, have no regular doctor, or face a cost or travel problem.

Ask who will send your ER records to that office and what you should bring. Write down whom to contact with concerns, including outside office hours. Confirm which contact handles results, medicines, or appointment problems.

Request language and communication help

You can say: “I need an interpreter in my language to understand this plan.” Ask how to get written instructions in that language. HHS says programs covered by its listed civil rights authorities must provide language assistance services free of charge.

Tell staff if hearing, vision, or reading makes the instructions hard to use. Ask for large print, an accessible copy, or communication support that meets your needs. HHS describes effective communication support, including interpreters and other services. If you want a trusted person involved, ask staff to include them in the explanation.

Print this ER discharge checklist

Use EmergencyRoomNearMe.org as directory context when finding a hospital. For questions about your visit, use the contacts your care team provides. A national directory cannot access your discharge plan, track pending results, or decide your next medical step.