Vim & Vigor - Fall 2018 - 21

mild to moderate pain, acute illnesses
such as shingles, well-woman visits,
headaches, skin rashes and infections,
fever, ear pain, mild to moderate respiratory disorders and persistent cough.
Wait times: Typically days or weeks,
depending on appointment availability;
sometimes same-day.
When you can go: Typical business
hours, Monday through Friday.
Cost: Going to primary care is the
best option for your wallet, but don't try
to save money by going there with an
emergency-they'll send you to the hospital and you'll lose treatment time.

The Emergency
Department

Often called emergency rooms or ERs,
emergency departments are for just
that-emergencies. The problem is
knowing what qualifies. Some situations are obvious: heart attacks, burst
appendixes and major injuries sustained in car crashes. But what about
when the signs are subtle?
"If you think you're having an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest
ER," says John Rogers, MD, president-elect of the American College of
Emergency Physicians. "We shouldn't
expect people to determine if they're
having an emergency or not. We can't
always tell based solely on the chief
complaint, so why would you expect to
be able to?"
Head to the ER for: Trouble breathing, fainting, signs of heart attack or
stroke, sudden severe headache, prolonged dizziness, sudden confusion,
bleeding that won't stop, broken bones,
cuts that expose bone or tissue, serious burns, coughing up blood, severe
pain, severe allergic reactions, high
fever (above 103 F for adults, 104 F in
children older than 3 months and 100.4
F for infants up to 3 months), persistent vomiting or diarrhea, seizures and
suicidal thoughts.
Wait times: Vary, depending on
severity of condition, from immediate
to several hours.

When you can go: Always; open 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
Cost: Emergency departments are
the most expensive type of care, but
they're also the most well-equipped to
deal with every ailment-and quickly.
Don't let cost stop you from getting
lifesaving care.

Urgent Care

Urgent care centers fill a gap between primary and emergency care. They typically
have basic lab and imaging equipment
such as X-ray machines as well as the ability to treat minor illnesses and injuries.
"If it's not an emergency and your
family doctor is unable to see you, then
you've got urgent care," McNeeley says.
"Most urgent care clinics are open every
day of the year, and you don't need
an appointment."
Head to urgent care for: Ear infections, sore throat, small lacerations,
minor burns, mild allergic reactions,
mild to moderate asthma, fever, flu, back
pain, skin rashes, sprains and strains,
simple fractures, urinary tract infections, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhea
and mild dehydration.
Wait times: Vary, depending on number of patients ahead of you (first come,
first served).
When you can go: Urgent care clinics
are usually open 10 or more hours a day,
seven days a week.
Cost: Your cost will most likely be
more than a visit to your primary care
doctor but still well below your cost at
the emergency department. Here, you're
paying for convenience. ■

NEXT
LEVEL
OF CARE

Emergency departments handle a wide
range of ailments, but only designated
trauma centers can handle the most
serious emergencies, including major
injuries from car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds.
While there are varying levels of
trauma centers, all of them must have
the necessary personnel and equipment to effectively care for critically
injured patients 24 hours a day. This
includes specialized resources such as
trauma surgeons, CT scan machines
and designated operating rooms.
A trauma center is designated a
specific level (I, II, III or IV) depending
on the available resources to care for
patients (specialty physicians, hospital
staff and equipment) as well as its ability to participate in trauma research,
health care professional education and
injury prevention.
For example, a Level I trauma center
is usually a large teaching hospital that
can care for all types of injuries as well
as provide support to community hospitals, perform trauma research and
provide medical education.
A Level II facility has all the same
resources as a Level I trauma center,
but is not involved in trauma research
and does not provide a surgical residency program.
Finally, Level III and IV centers stabilize patients and transport them to a
higher level of care if necessary.

WEBSITE

GMC's Level II Trauma Center
As the only trauma center in northeast metro Atlanta, GMC-Lawrenceville is
prepared to evaluate, diagnose, stabilize and manage patients with traumatic
injuries. To learn more, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/trauma.

FALL 2018

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http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/trauma
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2018
