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Additional Data Collection
Contact information, including names and phone numbers, should be obtained from family members and witnesses who are unable to be present at the hospital. Knowledge of the patient's medical wishes or the availability of an advance directive have considerable impact on decision-making by physicians at the hospital.
Additional pertinent history, such as recent trauma or seizure activity, is important to know. Knowledge of anticoagulant use such as aspirin, Coumadin, Plavix, Pradaxa, Aggrenox, etc., will have significant impact on therapeutic decision making related to stroke treatment options. Medication allergies must be obtained. Knowledge of whether the patient has experienced a recent heart attack, stroke, bleeding in the brain or gastrointestinal tract, or suffers from an irregular heart beat also impact care making decisions. | | | | | | |
