When to use the emergency room - adult: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2024)

Whenever an illness or injury occurs, you need to decide how serious it is and how soon to get medical care. This will help you choose whether it is best to:

Call your health care provider
Go to an urgent care clinic
Go to an emergency department right away

It pays to think about the right place to go. Treatment in an emergency department can cost 2 to 3 times more than the same care in your provider's office. In addition, your health insurance may require you to pay a higher copayment for care in an emergency department. Think about this and the other issues listed below when deciding.

Signs of an Emergency

How quickly do you need care? If a person or unborn baby could die or be permanently disabled, it is an emergency.

Call 911 or the local emergency number to have the emergency team come to you right away if you cannot wait, such as for:

Choking
Stopped breathing
Head injury with passing out, fainting, or confusion
Injury to neck or spine, particularly if there is loss of feeling or inability to move
Electric shock or lightning strike
Severe burn
Severe chest pain or pressure
Seizure that lasted more than 1 minute or from which the person does not rapidly awaken

Go to an emergency department or call 911 or the local emergency number for help for problems such as:

Trouble breathing
Passing out, fainting
Pain in the arm or jaw
Unusual or bad headache, particularly if it started suddenly
Suddenly not able to speak, see, walk, or move
Suddenly weak or drooping on one side of the body
Dizziness or weakness that does not go away
Inhaled smoke or poisonous fumes
Sudden confusion
Heavy bleeding
Possible broken bone, loss of movement, particularly if the bone is pushing through the skin
Deep wound
Serious burn
Coughing or throwing up blood
Severe pain anywhere on the body
Severe allergic reaction with trouble breathing, swelling, hives
High fever with headache and stiff neck
High fever that does not get better with medicine
Throwing up or loose stools that does not stop
Poisoning or overdose of drug or alcohol
Seizures

If you are thinking about hurting yourself or others, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also call 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK). The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support 24/7, anytime day or night.

You can also call 911 or the local emergency number or go to the hospital emergency room. DO NOT delay.

When to go to an Urgent Care Clinic

When you have a problem, do not wait too long to get medical care. If your problem is not life threatening or risking disability, but you are concerned and you cannot see your provider soon enough, go to an urgent care clinic.

The kinds of problems an urgent care clinic can deal with include:

Common mild illnesses, such as colds, the flu, earaches, sore throats, migraines, low-grade fevers, and limited rashes
Minor injuries, such as sprains, back pain, minor cuts and burns, minor broken bones, or minor eye injuries

If you are not Sure, Talk to Someone

If you are not sure what to do, and you don't have one of the serious conditions listed above, call your provider. If the office is not open, your phone call may be forwarded to someone. Describe your symptoms to the provider who answers your call, and find out what you should do.

Prepare now

Before you have a medical problem, learn what your choices are. Check the website of your health insurance company. Put these telephone numbers in the memory of your phone:

Your provider
The closest emergency department
Nurse telephone advice line
Urgent care clinic
Walk-in clinic

References

American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine website. What is urgent care medicine. aaucm.org/what-is-urgent-care-medicine/. Accessed July 25, 2022.

American College of Emergency Physicians website. Emergency care, urgent care - what's the difference? www.acep.org/globalassets/sites/acep/media/advocacy/value-of-em/urgent-emergent-care.pdf. Updated April 2007. Accessed July 25, 2022.

Findlay S. When you should go to an urgent care or walk-in health clinic: knowing your options in advance can help you get the right care and save money. www.consumerreports.org/health-clinics/urgent-care-or-walk-in-health-clinic. Updated May 4, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2022.

Review Date 7/25/2022

Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.