When You Should Skip Urgent Care and Go to the ER

Patients often wonder when they should bypass the urgent care and proceed directly to the ER.

Here’s a list of some of the more serious symptoms/conditions that are best treated at the nearest Emergency Department, instead of at an urgent care.

[Note, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list but merely some of the more common, life-threatening symptoms and conditions. They are not listed in order of severity]

1. Chest discomfort

2. Difficulty breathing

3. Feeling faint, like you might pass out

4. Impaired vision or speech, loss of use of limb(s) or face drooping

5. Confusion / someone “not acting right”

6. Trouble swallowing/swelling in the mouth or throat

7. Major trauma (e.g. car accident/fall from a height)

8. Vomiting blood or heavy, repeated bleeding from rectum

9. Testicular or scrotal pain

10. Pregnancy with active labor (best to go to Labor and Delivery)

11. Poisoning or serious toxic exposure

12. Feelings of wanting to hurt self or others

13. Sexual or (severe) physical assault

14. Heavy bleeding not controlled by direct pressure or bandage

15. Head injury (w/ loss of consciousness, change in mental status)

16. Severe abdominal or low back pain

17. Severe, sudden “thunderclap” headache

18. Traumatic amputations

Consider calling 911 for any of these potentially life or limb-threatening conditions.