What is the difference?
Generally, an emergency is a condition that may threaten an individual's life or cause impairment. On the other hand, urgent care can treat medical problems such as broken bones and minor burns that, while not emergencies, require care within 24 hours. If a medical problem is life-threatening, call 911 immediately, and care will be provided at the nearest emergency room (ER).
However, ER visits should be reserved for true emergencies, such as life-threatening accidents or chest pain. A visit to the ER without an actual emergency can be costly and inefficient, and detract medical care from individuals who truly need emergency care. For urgent medical concerns, patients should call PAMF first. Even if a patient's own physician is not available, physicians are always on call, and advice nurses can handle many problems over the phone during regular business hours.
If the medical problem is not life-threatening, but warrants immediate care, Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care in Wheeling, Illinois, is the place to visit.
"However, the Immediate Medical Care Clinic is not an Emergency Room", said Dr. Boris Gurevich, M.D. medical director of Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care.
"There is a big difference between urgent and emergency care," he said. "The ER is equipped to handle emergency situations, but Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care does not handle ambulance traffic and is not adequately equipped to manage patients with life-threatening medical conditions."
If a medical condition arises suddenly and you believe as a reasonable person that without immediate care and treatment your life or health is in jeopardy, you should go to the emergency room or call 911.
Some examples of symptoms that should be treated at an Emergency Room include:
- Signs of a heart attack that last two minutes or longer, including chest pain
- Signs of stroke, like sudden onset of numbness in any extremity
- Severe shortness of breath
- Bleeding that won't stop after ten minutes of direct pressure
- Poisoning
- Complicated fractures
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Suicidal or homicidal feelings
Some examples of symptoms that are best treated at a Urgent, or Immediate Care Center:
- Earaches
- Minor cuts where bleeding is controlled
- Sprains
- Simple fractures
- Skin Rashes
- Flu, colds, coughs, sore throat
- Allergies
- Sinus infections
- Bronchitis
- Urinary infections
- Scrapes and Abrasions
- Insect bites
- Eye infections
- Migraine
- Chemical exposure
- Minor burns
- Most fevers
If you have any questions about whether it is an emergency or not, you should call your primary care physician, or contact Healthy Trust Immediate Medical Care.
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