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Posts Tagged "Emergency Room"

14Nov2022

Reasons to Consider Pediatric Urgent Care Rather than the ER

People naturally consider rushing to the emergency room of a hospital when a child appears to be experiencing a medical emergency. When it comes to saving many lives, emergency room staff who provide medical and surgical care to patients in need of immediate attention have probably had the most influence.  However, nobody can dispute that going to the emergency room is an unpleasant experience, especially for kids, even if we have a lot to be grateful for from the staff there.

Do I Need to Take My Child to the ER?

Although it is something that no parent ever wants to witness in their child, illnesses are a very real potential for any family. When your child gets sick or hurt on a regular basis, you take them to the pediatrician’s office. However, what happens if they get sick or hurt after doctor’s hours and you don’t know if it is life-threatening? It would be impossible to schedule a pediatrics visit in this situation, wouldn’t it?

The emergency room might be an option if your pediatrician’s office is closed, but you might want to think hard before sending your child there. Emergency rooms aren’t the best places to make kids feel safe and comfortable because they are hectic, noisy, and chaotic in contrast to the welcoming environment of pediatricians’ offices.  You could subject your child to unpleasant situations that could leave them traumatized, because emergency rooms deal with a wide spectrum of disorders and illnesses. If it’s not absolutely necessary to go the ER, it might be a good idea to not 

What Other Options are Available?

Thankfully, you don’t have to go to the emergency room right away.  You can take your child to pediatric urgent care, where specialized professionals can treat children particularly, rather than going to a hospital’s emergency room.

Acute examination, management, and treatment of children with mild to moderate diseases or injuries are the emphasis of urgent care for children as opposed to emergency care, which concentrates on patients with significant illnesses or injuries.

For the treatment of the following disorders and more, pediatric urgent care is the ideal alternative to emergency rooms:

  • Gastrointestinal llergies
  • Red eye
  • Bites, rashes, and ear infections
  • Fever
  • Throat infection
  • Cuts

The Benefits Pediatric Urgent Care

Children’s urgent care is a useful resource when it comes to kids with mild illnesses. Facilities for pediatric urgent care offer advantages that emergency rooms do not.

Here are several reasons for taking your youngster to a kids urgent care facility:

Child-Friendly Environment

Pediatric urgent care facilities provide a more welcoming ambiance by including bright wall art, books, and toys, just like your child’s pediatrician’s office. Your youngster will feel more relaxed and less anxious thanks to the friendly atmosphere and the food, stickers, and awards the doctor will hand out.

Specialists for Children

Although emergency room doctors are trained and certified medical experts, there aren’t many of them who specialize in treating children with mild to moderate ailments. Pediatric urgent care centers, in contrast to emergency rooms, employ pediatric specialists, so you can rest easy knowing your child is in capable hands.

Faster Medical Care

You won’t have to wait too long for your child to be seen, unlike in regular emergency departments. Since many pediatric urgent care centers work on a first-come, first-served schedule, you’ll know when your child will be seen by a doctor.

Conclusion

For minor ailments, pediatric urgent care can be a useful substitute for emergency rooms. So, think about your options the next time your child is ill or hurt. To be sure that your child will receive the greatest medical care, visit a respected pediatric urgent care facility.

Pediatrics
5Nov2021

Should You Call the Doctor?

One of the hardest calls to make as a parent is figuring out when to call your child’s doctor. While it’s always a good idea to play it safe, many parents worry that they might end up bringing their children into the office for something that could have more easily been handled at home. If you’re trying to make such a decision, you’ll want to keep a few factors in mind.

Important Factors to Consider

The first thing to think about, of course, is the significance of what you are dealing with. A fever of below one hundred degrees, for example, probably isn’t worth going to the doctor for, nor is a small scrape or bruise. On the other hand, a problem that seems bigger – a higher, longer-duration fever or a significant injury – should almost automatically warrant a visit to the doctor’s office.

It’s also worth thinking about your child’s general health. There is a certain degree of normality for any given child when it comes to how he or she reacts to being sick, and you need to keep that in mind. It might be worth bringing a child in for what might be a low fever if he or she typically runs cool, for example, or you might not want to bring in a child who complains about a stomach ache if he or she is typically prone to those problems (and, of course, other issues have already been ruled out by your doctor).

Finally, try to remember that it’s always worth bringing your child in to see his or her doctor if you feel like something is just not right. While it’s not fair to say that a parent’s intuition is always going to pay off, you will have a greater peace of mind if you take your child in to see a doctor when you feel like doing so is appropriate. The worst you can find out is that your child didn’t need to come into the office, so the true risk of going in is relatively low compared to the risk of staying at home out of fear that you are over-reacting.

Pediatrics
21Dec2019

’Tis the Season for…

With winter right around the corner, it is time for parents across the community to prepare for wintertime illnesses. When your child suddenly comes home from school with a sore throat, muscle aches, or stomach pain, you want to know what he is fighting so that you can treat it properly.

Common Cold

It is nearly a given that your child will come down with a cold this winter as most children get up to 10 colds every year. Because this is a virus with typically mild symptoms, your child will most likely not need to see a doctor unless the illness worsens. However, he will need plenty of liquids and may need medication to bring down a fever.

Influenza

Although influenza is less common than a cold, almost half of children contract it each year. It is set apart from colds by the high fever, chills, and body aches that accompany it. Children over the age of 6 months should have the influenza vaccination every year. Most children who catch this illness can get over it on their own.

Stomach Flu

This illness may be called the flu but is correctly labeled as gastroenteritis. Most children with gastroenteritis have a stomachache along with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 to 48 hours. Hydration is vital.

Strep Throat

If your child has strep throat, he will have a very sore throat along with a fever, stomach pain, and difficulty swallowing. However, he will not have a runny nose. A simple throat swab from your pediatrician ensures that the illness is correctly diagnosed and treated with antibiotics.

Ear Infection

Many very young children end up with ear infections and spend time rubbing or pulling at their ears. If your child has a fever along with these symptoms, some acetaminophen or ibuprofen should limit the discomfort. If symptoms do not resolve in a few days, you should visit your pediatrician for professional help.

Whooping Cough

Although less common these days than it once was, whooping cough seems to be making a bit of a comeback in recent years. Initially, symptoms feel like a common cold but will progress to a terrible cough during which your child makes a whooping sound.

Be sure to contact Kids 1st Pediatrics to set up an appointment time for the influenza vaccine or to request a same-day or next-day appointment for your child.

Pediatrics
16Nov2019

Urgent Care versus ER for Kids

Dealing with a sick child can be stressful at best and downright harrowing at worst. While you can probably keep a cool head when thinking about the health needs of children from other families, you may instantly find yourself turning to worst-case scenarios when the health of your child is at stake. Of course, quick health care is important, but you may struggle to know where to turn for the best care for your child’s ailment. Is urgent care or the emergency room the right spot for your child to be treated?

How Serious Is the Health Need?

This is the most important question that you must ask yourself as you determine where to take your child. Medical emergencies, such as severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, seizures, very high fevers, and major rashes or allergic reactions to the face, all warrant immediate care in the emergency room or possibly an ambulance ride depending on the severity of the situation. However, urgent care doctors and nurses can take care of other less urgent and severe matters, such as broken bones and sprains, other types of rashes, influenza, earaches, pinkeye, diarrhea, vomiting, minor burns, and sports injuries.

Do You Have Access to a Pediatric Urgent Care?

If possible, try to find a pediatric urgent care facility close to your house. Not only will these professionals be able to provide you with fast care for mild health concerns, but also they will be highly trained in dealing with common health problems associated with childhood. These people care solely for infants, children, and teenagers and will have the equipment and knowledge for treating problems quickly yet accurately.

Does Your Pediatrician Offer Same-Day Appointments?

If you are considering heading to the urgent care, first find out if your pediatrician can squeeze your child in for a quick appointment. The benefits of this approach include money savings and a great rapport between your child and the physician. Plus, the pediatrician will already have your child’s medical history in front of her.

Pediatrics
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