Skip The Emergency Room And Head To Urgent Care For These Problems
Posted on: 10 May 2017
When your child suffers a medical issue, you must quickly try to evaluate how you'll get care. For issues that aren't pressing, scheduling an appointment with your family doctor is generally adequate. However, for problems that must be looked at by a doctor right away, you may find yourself trying to decide whether you should visit the local hospital's emergency department or find an urgent care center near you. Generally, if the issue is life threatening or otherwise very serious, you should visit an emergency room. If you're dealing with a time-sensitive issue that isn't quite as serious, however, urgent care is the way to go. Here are some problems that might send you and your child to urgent care.
Infected Wounds
Whether your child has recently cut himself or herself with a knife or fallen down and suffered a skinned knee, you might be able to clean the wound and manage it on your own. However, if you're beginning to notice signs of an infection, it's a good idea to visit the local urgent care center. Infection signs can vary. You might notice that the area feels hot and swollen, or it may be oozing a yellowish pus. Infection isn't something that you should ignore or put off until your can see your family doctor, but it shouldn't necessarily compel you to visit the emergency room. Instead, urgent care is the right approach for this problem.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions can vary considerably. If your child complains of feeling "off" after eating certain foods, you might simply make sure that he or she avoids such foods in the future. Conversely, if your child has a severe allergic reaction to an insect sting, for example, you might wish to seek care at an emergency room. For allergic reactions that are more moderate, urgent care is suitable. This doesn't mean that you should put off visiting; whenever you experience a concerning reaction, you should still get to the urgent care center as quickly as possible to have the issue addressed by a medical professional.
Flu-Like Symptoms
When you believe that your child has the flu bug, it's not generally necessary to head to the emergency room. However, you might need to visit an urgent care center if the child is dealing with troubling symptoms. For example, if he is or she is throwing up to the point of getting dehydrated, the child may need to be given fluids intravenously. He or she can receive this care at the urgent care clinic and then be sent home to manage the illness.
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