Many US Adults Feel Uninformed About Treatment Alternatives and Disempowered to Make Affirmative Treatment Decisions in the Emergency Room -

New national survey results released today indicate that while the vast majority of U.S. adults feel confident that they know when a cut is serious enough to require emergency care, there is a considerable disconnect after actually reaching the emergency room. The survey, commissioned by ETHICON, INC., and conducted by Harris Interactive?, found that more than one-third of U.S. adults feel only somewhat or not at all confident that they would know the right questions to ask if they had to go to the emergency room for a serious cut or laceration. Even more astoundingly, more than two in five adults believe they do not have a choice in the type of care they receive once they are at the emergency room.

This news is significant considering that, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual emergency room visits have reached a record level of 114 million annually, a 26 percent increase from 1993.1

The survey also showed that almost one-quarter of U.S. adults are not aware of an alternative to stitches, even though one in 10 respondents cited the prospect of stitches as a fear and potential deterrent to seeking emergency medical care for a serious cut or laceration.

\"The results of this study indicate the need for Americans to educate and empower themselves to take proactive control over their medical care,\" said Dr. Ronald Stram, ER physician, Albany Memorial Hospital. \"For example, today, there are other options to replace stitches. Requesting topical skin adhesives such as DERMABOND? Topical Skin Adhesive in lieu of traditional sutures can help eliminate \'needle anxiety,\' in both children and adults, offer added protection against dangerous bacteria such as staph and e. coli, and make recovery easier by enabling patients to shower and bathe immediately.\"

Dr. Stram also recommends the following to better manage the emergency room experience and take more active control over treatment:

* Have the address and phone number of the nearest hospitals and clinics readily available.

* Carry a written list of medications that you are taking and allergies that you may have. This can help prevent serious drug interaction or a negative physical reaction if you are not sufficiently coherent to provide this information or if your primary care physician is not accessible.

* Review and understand the terms of your insurance coverage before an emergency strikes, specifically regarding pre-certification. Always have your medical card with you as well as the various service phone numbers for your insurance carrier.

* Educate yourself in advance. The American College of Emergency Physicians\' Web site (www.acep.org) is a comprehensive resource that includes suggestions on organizing medical records and responding to emergencies. For additional information on alternatives to traditional sutures, please visit http://www.dermabond.com.

* Do not hesitate to ask the triage nurse or the ER physician about the course of care and treatment methods.

About the Survey

Harris Interactive? conducted the telephone survey for ETHICON, INC., between June 17 and 20, 2005, among a nationwide cross section of 1,017 U.S. adults ages 18+. Figures for age, sex, race and region were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

About DERMABOND? Adhesive

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998, DERMABOND? adhesive has been used extensively by health care professionals in the fields of trauma, plastic and other surgeries, emergency medicine and pediatrics. Since its approval, DERMABOND? adhesive has proven useful in closing incisions where suture removal can cause significant discomfort. The adhesive does not produce suture or \"track\" marks along the healed incision and a patient can shower right away without fear of compromising the incision.

DERMABOND? adhesive is contraindicated for use on any wounds with evidence of active infection or gangrene. It should also not be used on mucosal surfaces or across mucocutaneous junctions (e.g., lips, oral cavity), or on skin that is regularly exposed to body fluids or with dense hair (e.g., scalp).

DERMABOND? adhesive should not be used on patients with a known hypersensitivity to cyanoacrylate or formaldehyde.

For more information visit www.dermabond.com. DERMABOND? Topical Skin Adhesive is marketed by ETHICON, INC., under an exclusive distribution agreement with Closure Medical Corporation, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

About ETHICON Products

ETHICON Products, a division of ETHICON, INC., a Johnson & Johnson company, continues the company\'s 100-year commitment to wound care today with inventive products for wound closure. ETHICON Products is the worldwide leader in suture products and suture technology, and is one of the most recognizable and well-respected brand names in the hospital environment. The division has a long history of innovation in providing products - including sutures, topical adhesives, surgical meshes and wound drains - that enhance patient care. For more information about ETHICON Products, or other ETHICON divisions, visit http://www.ethicon.com.

1 Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 26, 2005.

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