![]() ![]() ![]() Though Charles is imaginary, he has traits that are common to many ED patients-his smoking and drinking underlie many of his visits and doctors missed more than one chance to help him quit those addictions, address his hypertension, and even help prevent heart disease. Charles says he didn’t know he had high blood pressure he doesn’t know where to go for primary care, much less how to quit drinking. When Charles’ emergency physician (EP) reviewed his medical record, she noticed he had been hypertensive during his previous ER visits, but there was no record of this finding having been discussed with him. Then one day he showed up with chest pain his EKG was concerning. Over the years, he made several more ED visits with intoxication or asthma flare-ups. That led to a car crash that brought him to the emergency department (ED) with minor injuries. After the pizza place closed, he lost the job and started to drink more heavily. ![]() Charles, a longtime smoker and drinker, once had a job delivering pizzas. ![]()
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