Should I go to the emergency room or urgent care?
Urgent care centers are ideal for handling medical issues that are not life-threatening such as colds, simple sprains and minor cuts or burns.
But if a true medical emergency arises, you’ll want to head directly to an emergency room, where physicians specializing in emergency medicine can provide immediate care and consultation.
“When facing a serious medical issue, don’t hesitate to call 911 for an ambulance or – if the situation allows for it – to drive the patient immediately to an emergency room,” says Elena Garrett M.D., board-certified emergency medicine physician. “In cases of a possible heart attack or stroke , getting treatment as soon as possible saves lives.”
When to go to urgent care
Most urgent care centers are able to handle everyday medical conditions, such as:
- Common colds and viruses, including flu and strep throat
- Infections, including bronchitis and sinus infections, as well as urinary tract infections
- Minor cuts or burns
- Skin rashes
When to go to the emergency room
For any issue that is life-threatening – or which involves severe injury – you should go directly to the emergency room. Conditions requiring immediate emergency room attention include:
- Chest pain or other possible heart attack symptoms, including pain in jaw, neck or arm
- Stroke symptoms, including numbness or weakness in legs or arms, facial drooping, difficulty speaking, sudden severe headache or loss of balance
- Head injury with loss of consciousness
- Severe abdominal pain
- Broken bones
- Bleeding during pregnancy or bleeding from an injury, which won’t subside
- Severe burns
- Difficulty breathing
- Poison ingestion or drug overdose
- Gunshot wounds
When a health crisis hits and seconds matter, you want to choose an emergency room team that’s equipped to handle your issue. Riverside Health System has 24/7 emergency rooms providing lifesaving care at:
- Riverside Doctors’ Hospital Williamsburg, Williamsburg
- Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Onancock on the Eastern Shore
- Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, Gloucester on the Middle Peninsula
- Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News
Original source can be found here