When to go to first aid versus urgent care

WIf you are dealing with immediate and serious health problems, your top priority will be given the most effective care as quickly as possible. But what is the best place to find that care?

Outside situations – such as pain in the chest that you think they can be a heart attack – it can be confusing to know if you should get a ride to first aid or if you can go to your nearest urgent care.

Here is exactly when you need to get medical emergency aid and when you can find what you need at an urgent care institution – or even with a virtual appointment.

When you have to go there

Auxiliary rooms are famous for their long waiting times and expensive bills. But even if you are motivated to prevent these inconveniences, it is essential that you go to the there when it is justified.

Go to the er or call 911 when your symptoms can be life threatening, according to Uchicago Medicine.

Experts say that if you or someone with whom you are one of the following symptoms, you must go to an Emergency Department:

• Symptoms of a heart attack: chest pain, arm pain or jaw, shortness of breath
• Symptoms of a stroke: weakness on one side of the body, unclear speech, suddenly unable to speak or see, weakness or hanging on one side of the body
• Significant trauma or injury, especially for the head or neck
• Severe lower abdominal pain
• Serious allergic reaction
• Severe burns
• Bleeding heavily
• Symptoms of sepsis: sudden confusion, high fever that does not get better with medicines
• Stopped breathing

If you experience something that must be treated “within a few minutes”, go to a first aid, says Dr. Arjun VenkateshProfessor of emergency medicine and chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine.

Auxiliary rooms usually have technology that do not have urgent facilities that may make more advanced imaging, such as Cat scans, says Dr. Victoria LebovClinical university lecturer at the Department of Emergency Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and medical director of the virtual urgent care program at NYU Langone Health.

When you have to go to urgent care

Urgent healthcare institutions are equipped to tackle timely health problems that are not life -threatening emergency situations. Symptoms that are suitable for treating in an urgent care institution, say Levbov and Venkatesh, include:

• Cold, flus and cough
• Scraping or cutting, especially if you think you might need a tetanus recording
• Earache
• Mild injuries
• Leisuria
• Diarrhea
• Rash

You can usually turn to your first -line doctor to treat many of these worries. But your regular doctor does not always have agreements available on the same day, says Leybov.

Read more: What is behind your persistent cough?

If staff in an urgent care center determine that you need more treatment than they can offer, they are very familiar with referring patients to first aid. This often happens for symptoms such as chest pain, abdominal pain when appendicitis can be a risk, or serious injuries, says Leybov.

“There is great variability in terms of which services are available at any urgent care,” says Venkatesh. For example, some can have X -ray machines, while others may not. Some can only perform specific blood tests; Some may not be able to do stitches.

What about counting medicine?

Depending on your symptoms, you can be a good candidate for a virtual emergency visit. The big advantage there is “you can get care wherever you are,” says Leybov. That is not only easier for you if you don’t feel good, but you will also expose anyone else to a potentially contagious bug, she says.

TeleHealth -increasing care agreements are suitable for many symptoms and disorders, she says, including:

• Upper reservatoire infections such as colds, flu and COVID-19
• Asthma
• Urinary tract infections (UTIS)
• Leisuria
• Rash
• Diarrhea

If you want answers quickly, virtual urgent care might be your fastest route to find out what you need, says Leybov. You can ask questions about which coughing medicine you should try, be prescribed an antibiotic or find out how long you should stay at home from work without leaving the comfort of your bed.

Read more: There is a new pill to treat UTIs

What if you are not sure?

Venkatesh says that patients sometimes feel “guilty” because they go to first aid and get the diagnosis with something mild and not life-threatening but you have to let go of that debt, he says. “The reality is that there are symptoms for which we know if we see people quickly in the Emergency Department, we have life -saving therapies.” For a stroke, for example, certain clot-busting medicines must be given in the first few hours after the symptoms start, he explains.

Don’t just miss that chance because you worry that your chest pain may not be that bad. If you went to urgent care instead, you can use a valuable time to wait to be seen and then referred to one.

Sometimes emergency symptoms are vague: instead of feeling that an elephant is sitting on your chest, more subtle breast pressure can still be a sign of a heart attack, he says. But how long it takes before you go to one with a possible heart attack or stroke can be the decisive factor to be eligible for certain fast -acting, life -saving treatments or not, he says.

Read more: Why do I always have a runny nose?

If you can, you can always call your first -line care office or a TeleHealth -increasing care line and get advice about where to go, he adds.

He also urges everyone to go to the there, even if they are concerned about the potential costs. The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act of Emtala Law “protects access to emergency shelter for everyone,” he says. What that law says is: “If someone feels that they have an emergency and need care in a department of emergency department, they must have access to that care,” he explains, regardless of their ability to pay.