Doctors and Hospitals Information

How to Recognize it is Medical Emergency ?

2:50 PM Unknown 0 Comments

Even healthy children get injured or ill occasionally. In certain cases, you will know that you need to head straight to the emergency room (ER) at the nearest hospital. In other cases, it is more difficult to decide whether an injury or sickness really needs the attention of a medical expert or can be treated at your home.

Different problems need different levels of care. When your child really needs some sort of medical assistance, you have many options:

Medical Emergency

1. Handle the issue at home. Many minor injuries and illnesses , including some cuts , certain types of rashes , coughs , colds , scrapes , and bruises , can be handled with home care and over-the-counter ( OTC ) treatments .
2. Call your doctor. If you're unsure of the level of medical care your child needs , your doctor — or a nurse who works in the office — can help you decide what steps to take and how .
3. Visit an urgent care center. An urgent care center can be a good option for non-emergencies at night and on weekends when your doctor may not be in the office. At these centers, you can usually get things like X-rays, stitches, and care for minor injuries that are not life threatening yet require medical attention on the same day.
4. Visit a hospital emergency room . An ER — also called an emergency department ( ED ) — can handle a wide variety of serious problems , such as severe bleeding , head trauma , seizures , meningitis , breathing difficulties , dehydration , and serious bacterial infections .
5. Call for an ambulance. Some situations are so serious that you need the help of trained medical personnel on the way to the hospital. These might include if your child : has been in a car accident , has a head or neck injury , has ingested too much medication and is now hard to rouse , or is not breathing or is turning blue . 
6. As a parent, it can be hard to make these judgment calls. You do not want to rush to the ER if it is not really an emergency and can wait until a doctor's appointment. On the other hand, you do not want to hesitate to get medical attention if your child needs treatment right away. As your kids grow, you will learn to trust yourself to decide when it is an emergency.
7. Remember that in cases when you know the problem is minor, it is best to contact your child's doctor, go to an urgent care center, or handle it at home. ERs can be crowded and it can take a long time for minor problems to be treated.