Emergency room or urgent care? How to decide where to go
BOSTON – Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your medical questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.
Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.
A local health care worker wrote the following: "I've seen people in the ER who say they have been dealing with something for over two weeks, which is not an emergency. I was hoping you would explain what types of ailments should be brought to an ER versus an outpatient clinic."
Most emergency rooms are completely overwhelmed with patients, many of whom would be better served in an urgent care facility or even in their own doctor's office. So it is important for people to understand where to go and when.
Emergency rooms are for true emergencies that require quick diagnosis and treatment like life-threatening conditions such as chest pain, trouble breathing, severe allergic reactions, signs of a stroke like weakness on one side of the body or slurred speech, loss of consciousness, severe burns, serious injuries, uncontrollable bleeding, confusion, and seizures.
The ER is also the appropriate place to be if you have a broken bone, a bad cut that will require many stitches or severe belly pain.
When should someone go to an urgent care?
It's important for people to know that urgent care is not emergency care. Urgent care centers can treat a variety of problems that need to be addressed urgently but are not necessarily life-threatening.
So things like mild to moderate belly pain, asthma flares, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, dehydration, respiratory infections, minor injuries like twisted ankles and acute back pain, smaller cuts or lacerations, or genital infections.
Urgent care facilities can often draw blood, do simple stitches, drain abscesses, remove splinters, and perform routine x-rays, but usually can't do CT scans, MRIs, or ultrasounds.
When should a patient wait to call their own primary care provider about an ailment?
If you have an ongoing problem that isn't new or acute such as long-standing headaches or back pain or something that is new but can be addressed during office hours like a urinary tract infection, cough, sore throat, ear pain, or rash, try to get in to see your doctor.
If you can't, then try a walk-in clinic like a Minute Clinic or local urgent care. If you have children, always call your pediatrician to get advice on when and where to be seen. And if you're pregnant, call your prenatal provider before heading to an ER or urgent care.
