Choosing the Right Place for Your Sick Child
As a parent trying to do the best for your child, it can be tough to always know where is the best place to take your child when they're sick and how urgent or emergent their symptoms are. The COVID pandemic has made these decisions even harder. So let's review some suggestions for how to make the right choice for your child.
YOUR CHILD’S PEDIATRICIAN
ALWAYS START WITH YOUR CHILD'S PEDIATRICIAN
It is important for your child to always have a pediatrician or other primary care doctor/provider. It is also important for your child’s pediatrician to get to know you and your child, and for you and your child to get to know your pediatrician.
WHEN TO GO TO YOUR CHILD'S PEDIATRICIAN
Regular checkups and preventive care (and school forms)
Routine shots/vaccines
Help with chronic illnesses such as asthma and allergies
Cough, sore throat, rashes, ear pain, vomiting, diarrhea, scrapes, sprains, constipation, pain with urination, aches and pains, and other mild illnesses
Fever in a child older than 2 months
Your child’s pediatrician will:
Keep track of your child’s general health
Provide care to keep your child from getting sick (preventive care)
Assess and treat your child when sick
Learn your child’s medical history
Give your child better care than the ER/emergency room in many instances because he/she knows more about your child
Help you to understand your child’s illnesses
Recommend bloodwork and/or imaging studies if deemed necessary
Refer your child to specialist(s) when needed
Refer you and your child to urgent care or the ER if necessary
Many pediatricians will have same-day or next-day appointments and a 24-hour call line so that you can have your child seen quickly and/or you can talk to your pediatrician for emergencies, even outside of normal office hours. Talking to your pediatrician first will sometimes eliminate feeling like you have to rush your child to the emergency room or to urgent care. Or it can help you decide if you do, in fact, need to take your child to the emergency room or urgent care and which one may be more appropriate.
WHEN TO TAKE YOUR CHILD TO URGENT CARE
You should consider taking your child to an urgent care facility for:
Mild-moderate accidents or injuries (for example, possible broken bones or small cuts that may need glue repair or stitches, especially in older children)
If your child needs to be seen right away -AND- your pediatrician cannot see them within 24-48 hours
If you are not sure if your child needs to go to urgent care, call your child's pediatrician and they can help you determine if your child should be seen at urgent care.
WHEN TO TAKE YOUR CHILD TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
You should take your child to the emergency room if your child is experiencing:
Trouble breathing
Chest pain
Seizures
Burns
Severe accidents or injuries (for example, likely or obviously broken bones or large cuts that may need stitches, especially in younger children)
Fever (temperature of 100.4 or higher) in a child less than 2 months old (for a great video on fever in children, visit https://www.facebook.com/pmkidz.wecare/videos/851055195638747/
If you are not sure if your child needs to go to the ER, call your child's pediatrician or their after-hours emergencies line and they will be able to help you determine if your child needs emergency room care or not.
WHY NOT TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM (unless absolutely necessary*)
The ER doctor/provider doesn’t know your child or have access to your child’s records
You may not be seen quickly (the sickest children will be seen first)
Your child may be exposed to other really sick children in the ER waiting room (a special consideration given the COVID pandemic)
*Dial 911 or take your child directly to the Emergency Room if you think your child’s life is in danger
Making the decision of where to take your child when they are sick is not always easy. At the end of the day, go with your instincts but having a good pediatrician can help make these questions easier for you.
If your child does not currently have a pediatrician, invest time in finding a great pediatrician for your child. Ask your friends with children for recommendations and look for qualities in your pediatrician and office policies that work well for you and your family.
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*Dial 911 or take your child directly to the Emergency Room if you think your child’s life is in danger
All content on this website, including medical opinion and any other health-related information is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of this website and the information contained does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor before starting any specific treatment plan.