Knowing whether to head to the emergency room, urgent care, or prompt care can make a difference in how quickly patients receive the right treatment at the right time. OSF St. Mary Medical Center Managing Medical Director Dr. Nathaniel Baker shares tips on choosing the appropriate level of care:
“When in doubt, we are happy to care for you in the emergency room. There are some more obvious times where they can help you out very well at urgent care or prompt care. The times where you are going to want to come to the ER are times where you have difficulty breathing, any chest pains, any severe abdominal pain, or severe extremity injuries, that is typically going to require more advanced testing, more advanced imaging than they are able to do at prompt care. When in doubt, we are happy to take care of you in the ER. We have rooms dedicated for those quicker problems that need treated.”
If you are experiencing chest pain, dizziness, vision changes, or difficulty breathing, do not drive yourself. Call 911 or have someone else take you.
