What You Should Know Before a Trip to the Emergency Room?
Jun 07, 2023
Nobody plans to visit the emergency room, but medical emergencies can happen to anyone. Should you find yourself, or a loved one, facing an emergency, keep these tips in mind to help your experience go as smoothly as possible.
Emergency Room, Urgent Care or Walk-In Clinic?
There are distinct reasons to go to the ER, urgent care or a FMC walk-in clinic. Let’s review the differences between each option:
Emergency Room
Hospital emergency departments provide medical care at any time, day or night. Unlike urgent care centers, they are equipped and staffed to handle the most complex or critical needs, including life- and limb-threatening situations ranging from heart attack and stroke to traumatic injuries following a car accident.
Certain medical conditions are considered emergencies because they can require rapid or advanced treatments, including surgery, that are only available in a hospital setting.
Examples of symptoms that may be best evaluated in an emergency room include:
FMC Walk-In Clinics
Walk-in clinics are a good option for when you are not feeling well, but it’s not serious enough for the emergency room. FMC walk-in visits offer fast, convenient access to medical care nearly every day. No appointment or pre-visit phone call is necessary and walk-ins are available to all FMC patients.
Example conditions that would be optimal for a walk-in clinics:
Both FMC locations have dedicated providers specifically for walk-ins to make walk-in appointments more expedient and create no disruption for pre-scheduled appointments. Although you may not be able to see your regular FMC provider during a walk-in visit, your provider will be notified about your care and can address any outstanding needs during your next scheduled visit. Walk-in appointments are available Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Fridays at both locations in Harrogate & Tazewell. Saturday walk-ins are available from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. in Harrogate. Walk-ins must be current patients and should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the latest appointment time (i.e. arrive by 11:30 a.m. on Saturday).
If you have an after hours medical concern, and you are an FMC patient, you should call our office and speak to an on-call provider.
Urgent Care:
Urgent care is not emergency care. Urgent care centers are same-day clinics that can handle a variety of medical problems that need to be treated right away, but are not considered true emergencies. Urgent care is similar to walk-in clinics, but for patients that do not have a primary care physician or clinic like FMC. During regular business hours, FMC patients should always consider walk-in appointments over urgent care visits for ease and comfort of consistent care. Urgent care clinics should never be used as your primary care provider. Urgent care clinics are not usually open in late evening hours.
Don’t drive yourself
If you have serious symptoms like severe bleeding, chest pain, or shortness of breath, you likely need immediate attention at the emergency room. With such severe symptoms you shouldn’t be behind the wheel. Ask a family member or neighbor to drive you, or call an ambulance to ensure that you arrive as safely as possible to the emergency room. Having support while you’re checking in, being admitted, or being discharged from the emergency room or hospital is important in understanding important details and/or following discharge instructions.
When to call 911
You should never drive yourself if you are having severe chest pain or severe bleeding, if you feel like you might faint or if your vision is impaired. When in doubt, call 911; what matters most is that you get to the emergency room quickly and safely.
In case of a heart attack or stroke, calling or having someone call 911 for an ambulance is always the right decision. Paramedics often can begin delivering life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital.
Know your medications
When you only take a few medications, it can be easy for some to remember what they are. However, many times, especially in times of stress or pain, it can be hard to remember all the details of your current medications, including the name and daily dosage amounts. In an emergency situation, you need to be able to provide the hospital/emergency room staff a complete list of medications you’re currently taking so they can determine the best treatment for you.
If it helps, you can keep a list of your current medications in your cellphone notes, or a small notebook that can be easily carried with you. You can also ask your FMC provider to give you a printed list of all current medications on your next visit to keep in your wallet or purse. Also, every time you visit our office, a summary of your visit including your current medication list will be printed for you at the checkout desk.
*Pro tip: If you have access to FMC’s Patient Portal (on the website, www.fmctn.com) or Healow app on your smartphone, you can have immediate access to all your medications wherever you are.
Be honest and ask questions:
It’s important to remember that emergency room and/or doctors in the hospital are not as familiar with your health background as your FMC primary care physician. This is why it’s important to be as honest and thorough as possible when discussing your symptoms, medications and health history.
The emergency room care team will be asking questions to help respond to and resolve your medical emergency. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions either. Medical terminology is sometimes confusing and hard to understand, so don’t feel embarrassed about inquiring about tests being performed, treatment plans, or discharge instructions.
Make a follow-up appointment:
The ER may be the place you go in an emergency, but it shouldn’t be the final destination after a significant medical event. FMC patients should call the office within 24 to 48 hours after a visit to the ER or release from the hospital to make a follow-up appointment with their primary care physician. At the follow-up visit, your FMC provider will review actions taken by the emergency room physician, test results, and medication changes/additions/subtractions needed during the medical emergency and help craft your recovery plan. Sometimes medications need to be reconsidered, additional tests need to be conducted or referrals to other specialists are required. Your FMC primary care provider will help guide you on next steps and help keep you healthy and thriving moving forward.
Please note, FMC or urgent care facilities cannot see patients on the same day they are discharged. If you have a same-day issue after being discharged from the ER/Hospital, you must return to the ER/Hospital.