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Urgent and Emergency Care
There is a difference between urgent care and emergency
care and what is best to seek treatment.
While the answer is not always simple, knowing the difference
between urgent care and emergency care and where to seek
treatment could save your life in an emergency(8.2 pg 6).The emergency department was designed to provide fast, life or-limb-saving care. Many people, however, use the ER as a
place to receive urgent care without realizing it. (8.2 pg 7) -
Medical Emergencies
Persistent chest pain, especially if it radiates to your arm or jaw or is accompanied by sweating, vomiting or shortness of breath
• Persistent shortness of breath or wheezing
• Severe pain, particularly in the abdomen or starting halfway
down the back
• Loss of balance or fainting
• Difficulty speaking, altered mental status or confusion
Sudden, severe headache
Sudden testicular pain and swelling
Newborn baby with a fever
Intestinal bleeding
Falls with injury or while taking blood thinners -
9-1-1
Sometimes driving yourself or a loved one to the emergency
room won’t get you the medical care needed fast enough.
“Many people are confused about when to call 911,” says Dr.
Evans. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. If you are in doubt,
please call 911. Do not drive if you are having severe chest
pain or severe bleeding, if feel like you might faint or if your
vision is impaired.”(8.2 pg 7) -
Example
One of my co-workers had to call 911 because at the pool at motel 6 a parent was not watching one of their kids and he had started to drown and he had passed out with the amount of water in his body, but good thing that our desk clerk had called 911 right away and she had knew CPR because that had saved the child's life, 911 had arrived immediately and they had taken care of the situation.