I always find that I forget to bring something for the long haul of an ER visit. Taking someone or following an ambulance to ER is always longer than 2 hours, and never shorter than 6 hours, from my experience.
What do you bring along to ease the time, situation for both you and your loved one?
I try to bring extra clothes for loved one, a cell phone and charger, magazine or book, snacks and a couple bottles of water for me, (they don't like giving patients anything until they are stable or moving to a regular room,) blanket, jacket, diapers, wipes, and lip balm.
If one is having a reaction to a new medicine, instead of bringing the bottle of medicine, just bring alone that paper phamplet that the pharmacy tucks inside the bag.
If you live in an area where there are numerous hospitals nearby, go on-line to see what are the wait times for each ER, and choose the one with the shortest wait. With todays hospitals, all info is computerized linked [thanks to Obamacare]. Thus, if I go into the ER, the hospital can link to my primary doctor to get current records. And vise-versa. Any blood tests, x-rays, etc. can be linked back to my primary doctor.
Last time I was in the ER, I got so annoyed at sig-other because he was more interested in what was on his cellphone than paying attention to what the nurses and doctors were saying :P I rather he would have dozed off out of boredom waiting for test results. Any time he grumbled, I would ask if he wanted to trade places. Some family members just don't play well with others at the hospital.
MACinCT - love the idea of keeping the bag prepacked and in the car.
By "px" I did mean the printed list rather than the boxes of tablets.
I'd also recommend a pillow and a shawl, wrap or fleece: hospital seating is hard on the hindquarters and ER's are draughty.