Is it an emergency?From Spotlight on Health - Fall 2010

It’s 2 a.m. and your child has a hacking cough and 101˚F temperature. Should you go to the emergency room (ER) or can you wait until morning to visit an urgent care center?

ERs provide care for patients with life-threatening events such as serious motor vehicle accidents, heart attacks and other emergencies, including:

• Choking, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness
• Allergic reaction
• Seizures
• Heavy bleeding that does not stop
• Sudden inability to move or speak
• Swallowing poisonous material
• Severe burns
• Broken bones or severe pain and swelling in a joint
• Vomit producing blood or dark-colored material accompanied by severe abdominal pain
• Purple spots on the skin with a temperature higher than 100˚F

Urgent care centers treat patients for illnesses or injuries that require immediate care but are not serious enough to go to the ER, including:

• Sore throat, cold or flu
• Fever with no other symptoms
• Skin rashes or infection
• Earaches
• Minor injuries
• Minor cuts and burns
• Eye redness or irritation
• Minor fractures (finger or toes), sprains or strains

When in doubt, contact your health care provider or insurance nurse line. In a life-threatening emergency, never waste time pondering the decision. Go to the emergency room or dial 911.