Most accident victims treated in emergency rooms remember as little as 15 to 20 percent of the instructions given to them under this time of stress. If instructions are given, they should be written in addition to being verbally transmitted. If possible, give these same instructions to an accompanying family member or friend. Anticipate potential complications, which might delay healing and need medical attention. A wound check at 24 or 48 hours is preferable when circumstances are unfavorable for primary healing rather than instructing the patient to return in one week. In this way, early signs of infection or poor compliance with instructions can be identified. In some situations, daily visits may be indicated so that healing can be optimized. It might be determined on one of these follow-up visits that hospitalization is required to achieve the optimal rate of healing. In the long run, hospitalization might be the least expensive option especially when poor compliance, infection or protracted healing may result.

By seeing patients in follow-up after initial treatment, one is able to assess the results of one's intervention. Unfortunately, it is less common to have patients followed in the emergency room by treating a physician in this day of managed care when the primary care physician is instructed to follow the patient.