How do you decide whether you should go to the emergency department or your physician? While there are no clear-cut answers, experts agree that you should trust your instincts. If a situation seems serious, it probably is. Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance or get to an emergency room immediately. It's better to be sure than take a chance.
Call 9-1-1 for an ambulance if you have:
- Life threatening injury/illness
- Physical limitations preventing you from getting the patient to hospital
- Doubts about your ability to drive safely to the emergency room
- Fear the patient may need medical intervention before you can get to the hospital
Go to the emergency department if you have:
- Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
- Sudden dizziness or weakness
- Major trauma
- Severe head wound
- Amputation
- Stroke
- Difficulty breathing or look bluish around the mouth
- Fainting or loss of consciousness
- Excessive bleeding
- Severe and/or persistent vomiting
- Dehydration
- Severe burns
- Foreign object swallowed or otherwise lodged in the body
- Abdominal pain coupled with a fever
- Seizures
- Poisoning
- Possible suicide or mental disorder
Seek immediate care if you have:
- Minor cut requiring stitches
- Foreign matter in eyes or ears
- Possible infection requiring a lab test (for example: strep throat, respiratory infection)
- Broken bone
- Severe sprain
- Minor burn
- Skin rash
- High fever
- A minor condition that worsens over the weekend or during a holiday when your primary care physician is not available
|
