For most people, an illness or an injury happens unexpectedly: you have a fall while trying out a new piece of exercise equipment, you wake in the night was gastrointestinal distress, or you develop a rash after a hike in the woods. Whatever your medical emergency may be, you may be unsure where you should seek treatment. Is it a true emergency that requires the emergency room? Is it something that should be seen by an urgent care doctor? Is it a problem that can be handled by a walk-in clinic in My InstaDoc?
You Should Go to the ER
A true medical emergency should always send you running to the nearest emergency room or possibly even calling 911. A condition is considered an emergency if it is life or death, if it requires very rapid treatment, or if it is something that can only be handled in a hospital. You should immediately seek treatment at the ER if you are experiencing any of the following:
• A pregnant woman that is having vaginal bleeding
• Very severe flu symptoms
• Lacerations on your face or head
• A severe laceration that is bleeding profusely or spurting blood
• Seizures
• A high fever accompanied by a skin rash
• A concussion
• A confused mental state not due to alcohol consumption
• Speech that is slurred not due to alcohol consumption
• Weakness or a numb feeling on one side of the body
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe chest pain
You Should Go to Urgent Care
An urgent care facility is not the same thing as the emergency room. One, they are not generally attached to the hospital. They are clinics that handle medical problems that are urgent but do not qualify as medical emergencies. You should seek treatment at an urgent care clinic for the following types of medical problems:
• Small to moderate lacerations that may or may not require stitches
• Mild sprains
• Wheezing
• A moderate to a high fever that does not have an accompanying rash
• A suspected fracture, if the urgent care center can x-ray
• Dehydration
You Should Go to the Walk-In Clinic
A walk-in clinic is sometimes called a retail clinic because they are convenient and offer medical care quickly without an appointment. Often, the medical provider will be a P.A. or an N.P., and they can treat mild medical issues like:
• Red and itchy eyes
• An earache
• A mild to a moderate sore throat
• Common cold symptoms
• Mild to moderate flu symptoms
• Skin rashes that are not accompanied by a fever (like poison ivy)
• Pain when urinating
We look forward to providing the care you need.
