When to Call 9-1-1, Your Doctor, or the Hospital?

When a medical emergency arises, it's not always easy to think clearly. A crisis demands that you react quickly rather than spend time pondering the situation. Learning about your options may better equip you to act when an emergency does arise.

"It can be difficult for patients to decide for themselves whether a medical emergency exists, but everybody should be encouraged to call for help rather than not to call," says Michael D. Bishop, M.D., president of Emergency Care Physicians in Bloomington, Ind., and an officer of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. "If people aren't sure about a problem, we encourage them to consider it more serious than less serious. Always err on the side of caution."

The 9-1-1 emergency response system, a hospital emergency room and your doctor are viable options when you need prompt medical help. But there are times when calling a particular one of these is more appropriate.

When to Call 9-1-1
Using 9-1-1 (or your community's local emergency access number) should not be taken lightly. It exists for true emergencies. By definition, emergencies threaten a person's life, limbs or sense organs. Examples are heart attacks, broken bones, head and neck injuries, cuts with severe bleeding and eye injuries.

It's also appropriate to call 9-1-1 when you are not physically able to transport someone to the hospital by car, and they have a condition that is growing worse.

When you call 9-1-1, an ambulance is dispatched with personnel trained in life support, and the patient is taken to a hospital for emergency care. The best reason to avoid using 9-1-1, if it's not absolutely necessary, is the cost. The patient will be billed for the ambulance, the hospital and the physician's services.

When to Go to a Hospital
Doctors who specialize in emergency medicine see just about everything, from real emergencies to people who come in for minor problems because they have nowhere else to go. But hospital emergency treatment is expensive because of its 24-hour availability and high overhead.

So, when is it appropriate to go to a hospital? If you feel a person needs immediate attention and a primary care physician isn't available, then emergency care may be the best option. Remember that patients in the emergency room are treated according to the severity of their condition; it's not first come, first serve.

When to Call your Doctor
If you think a person needs emergency treatment at a hospital, it's sometimes helpful to first call your doctor for advice if you have the time. Your doctor can advise you as to whether an emergency situation actually exists.

If there is time to spare, then seeing a doctor first is definitely advised. Remember, a doctor's visit won't be as expensive as a hospital's emergency treatment.

Some Other Options
Ambulatory care centers: Also called urgent care clinics, these doctor-staffed, walk-in medical facilities offer an alternative when there isn't an emergency and you don't have access to your personal physician.

Poison-control centers: These centers are staffed by people well-trained to handle telephone calls dealing with poisoning emergencies.

Reprinted with permission of Health Ink & Vitality Communications.