Ten Reasons to Visit an Emergency Room Instead of an Urgent Care : Safety

While urgent care centers are incredibly convenient, they lack some of the capabilities and equipment available at a hospital ER. Because urgent care centers are not hospitals, they can’t treat certain life-threatening conditions. Also, most urgent care facilities will not have 24-hour coverage as a hospital emergency room would. If you are in need of immediate medical attention due to a major accident or unexpected condition, you should go directly to an emergency room.

This is because a patient’s treatment is often dependent on their ability to be seen by doctors immediately upon arrival. The exception here being if your injury is severe but has stabilized; it might be safe to wait for an appointment with your primary doctor in lieu of going straight to the ER. A good rule of thumb: If you think you’re dying or something could get seriously messed up if help doesn’t arrive soon, head straight for an emergency room rather than stopping off at urgent care first.

Reasons you may want to visit an ER include:

Severe Allergic Reactions – An allergic reaction can turn into a life-threatening situation quickly so it’s important that you seek out immediate medical attention. Food allergies tend to hit rapidly while drug allergies may take several hours before causing issues, so trust your body and react accordingly. Anaphylaxis is no joke—it kills thousands of people every year—so don’t take risks with your health! Food Poisoning – Digestive issues caused by food poisoning tend to occur within two hours of eating contaminated food. You will experience severe abdominal pain and/or cramping, diarrhea or vomiting (sometimes both), fever and/or chills within these two hours after exposure since symptoms usually worsen over time.

Anyone experiencing severe digestive issues should head directly to an emergency room without stopping at urgent care first. Heart Attack – While heart attacks don’t typically happen overnight, they often progress quickly if left untreated. Symptoms include: chest pains or discomfort under one arm; sweating; nausea; indigestion; dizziness; lightheadedness; extreme weakness or fatigue; anxiety or shortness of breath for no obvious reason etc. It’s best to immediately call 911 if you are feeling any sort of heart attack symptom even if they seem minor at first as they could lead to a more serious issue if not treated in a timely manner immediately.