Loyola Experts Answer When You Should Go to the Emergency Room (ER) Vs. Immediate Care

MAYWOOD, IL – When injury or sickness strikes, it can be hard to know where to go for proper care and treatment and if the situation is urgent enough to call 911.

Loyola Medicine emergency medicine physician Robert Riggs, MD, and family medicine physician Khalilah Babino, DO, answer those questions in this new Loyola Medicine video.

In the simplest of scenarios, if your condition seems serious and you're considering contacting emergency services, call 911 right away or head to your closest emergency department.

"If it seems as if your condition could be life threatening, coming into the emergency department is your best option," Dr. Riggs said.

Some conditions and symptoms that should be brought to the emergency department include:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Pregnancy complications
• Seizures
• Deep cuts
• Serious burns
• Broken bones that protrude through the skin
• Stroke symptoms

However, if your non-life threatening or non-urgent condition requires attention but there's a wait to be seen by your primary care physician or you want another doctor's opinion, immediate care may be for you. "If your condition is something you'd normally address with your primary care physician, an immediate care center can probably help," Dr. Babino said.

A few of the conditions that can most likely be treated at an immediate care center include:

• Strep throat
• Pink eye
• Minor rash
• Ear or sinus infections
• Nosebleeds
• Small cuts
• Cold and flu symptoms

The emergency departments at Loyola University Medical Center, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital and MacNeal Hospital are available 24/7 and are home to experts in emergency medicine. As a level 1 trauma center, Loyola University Medical Center's emergency department features some of the most highly skilled experts in trauma and emergency medicine ready to care for patients in their urgent time of need.

Loyola’s Emergency Department receives some of the region's most critically ill and injured patients. Our emergency medicine services combine advanced treatment and patient monitoring with the expertise of highly trained emergency medicine professionals.

Loyola's immediate care locations are open weekdays with some locations being open weekends and most holidays – please check each immediate care location's web page for hours. No appointment is needed. Loyola Medicine offers immediate care services at Loyola Medicine Burr Ridge, Loyola Medicine River Forest, Oakbrook Terrace and La Grange.

At Loyola’s immediate care locations, you can see a board-certified doctor to treat your acute condition as soon as possible. Care is provided year-round, and the cost is similar to that of an appointment with your primary care physician or at a hospital outpatient department. Our patients benefit from receiving care that is at the forefront of modern medicine.