At the ER in Spain
Describing symptoms, answering triage questions and dealing with the wait at a Spanish urgencias.
In Spain you go to 'urgencias' at a public hospital with your tarjeta sanitaria, or call 112 if it's serious. A triage nurse asks what happened, checks your pain and allergies and gives you a priority; the most serious cases are seen first and you're called by name or on a screen. The cards follow a woman who fell off a ladder at home, going through triage, waiting with her husband and seeing the doctor.
- 1
Cuénteme, ¿qué le ha pasado?
Tell me, what's happened?
- 2
Tengo un dolor muy fuerte en el pecho.
I've got a really bad pain in my chest.
- 3
Empezó hace más o menos una hora.
It started about an hour ago.
- 4
Del uno al diez, ¿cuánto le duele?
On a scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?
- 5
Me duele al respirar.
It hurts when I breathe in.
- 6
¿Toma alguna medicación?
Are you taking any medication?
- 7
Soy alérgica a la penicilina.
I'm allergic to penicillin.
- 8
¿Tiene la tarjeta sanitaria?
Have you got your health card?
- 9
Estoy mareada y he vomitado dos veces.
I feel dizzy and I've been sick twice.
- 10
Me he caído de una escalera y no puedo mover el brazo.
I fell off a ladder and I can't move my arm.
- 11
Creo que está roto.
I think it's broken.
- 12
Siéntese, le llamarán por pantalla.
Take a seat, they'll call you up on the screen.
- 13
¿Cuánto vamos a tener que esperar?
How long are we going to have to wait?
- 14
Llevamos más de dos horas y no nos ha visto nadie.
We've been here more than two hours and nobody's seen us.
- 15
Primero atienden los casos más graves.
They see the most serious cases first.
- 16
¿Puede pasar mi marido conmigo?
Can my husband come in with me?
- 17
¿Está usted embarazada?
Are you pregnant?
- 18
Le vamos a hacer una radiografía y un análisis de sangre.
We're going to do an X-ray and a blood test.
- 19
¿Tiene fiebre?
Have you got a temperature?
- 20
Si empeora, vuelva enseguida.
If it gets worse, come back straight away.