Knowing When to Reach Out for Medical Help

Knowing When to Reach Out for Medical Help

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Nowadays, we are becoming increasingly aware of the potentially detrimental effects of delaying diagnosis and not reaching out for medical help when we need it. A study published in J Gen Intern Med looked into reasons that people avoid reaching out for medical care and identified three main categories for reasons avoiding medical care. The first was the high cost of medical care. The second was a general dislike of healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions. The third was a low perceived need to seek out medical care and a general assumption that their conditions would either resolve themselves or slowly improve over time. Let’s focus on the final factor, as this is perhaps the most easily rectified. It is extremely important that you know when to seek medical help and what type of medical help to request. Read on for further information that can help to clear up concerns or doubts.

Seeking Immediate Medical Attention

There are some situations in life where you will need to seek the help of a medical professional immediately. These are referred to as emergency situations and can be potentially life threatening. In some emergency situations where you may become unconscious or incapacitated, someone should call a doctor or ambulance on your behalf. However, there are certain emergency situations where you will have to take on this responsibility yourself. Watch out for these warning signs, and call the emergency services as soon as you experience any of them.

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Acute confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Fits that aren’t stopping
• Severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
• Severe allergic reactions
• Severe burns or scalds

You should also call emergency services if you believe that you or someone else is having a stroke. Symptoms of a stroke include the face falling on one side, an inability to raise both arms,  and slurred speech.

Knowing What Information to Give Emergency Services

When you phone the emergency services, it’s generally best to have an idea of what information they are going to require of you. This will make the process as smooth as possible, allowing the emergency services to dispatch a vehicle and team as quickly as possible. You will generally be asked the following series of questions.

• What your emergency is – this is used to determine which service you need to be connected to, as you could be reporting an emergency that requires medical, police, or fire department attention.
• Where you are – the more specific the location you can give, the more easy it will be for the ambulance to find you or the individual who requires attention.
• What has happened – this will help the team to determine the level of emergency so that they can distribute their services most effectively. The most severe emergencies will be tackled first. It also helps them to prepare the team who will be attending to you.

The individual responding to your call may then request further information about the patient, including a general idea of age, their gender, how an injury occurred or how long they have been injured. However, it is not uncommon for malpractices to be made in emergencies, further compromising the patient’s health. Nurses and doctors sometimes fail to conduct proper testing, often administering the wrong treatment. Others also ignore their charges or pay less attention to their complaints. Knowing what to do in this situation is essential for getting your due compensation and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Fortunately, legal experts like Joseph Taraska have highlighted effective steps to take when preparing for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

When Conditions are Not Life Threatening

If you are experiencing symptoms of a problem, but the situation is not life threatening, you should book in an appointment with your local doctor. This will give them the opportunity to observe your symptoms and diagnose potential problems. They can then refer you on to a specialist in the area of your problem, further hospital scans or treatment, or prescribe medication and treatments for you to take home on the day. If you find that you have visited a doctor and a problem has not been diagnosed effectively, or that it has taken a particularly long time to come to a specific diagnosis, you could contact a delayed diagnosis lawyer.

When to Practice Self-Care

There are certain situations in life where you can practice self care and don’t necessarily need to consult a doctor at all. Self care is a term that can be used to refer to individuals’ recognition, treatment and maintenance of their own health. Increasing demand on hospitals and other medical institutes means that time and resources are precious, so you should ensure that you do only visit a doctor if you need a doctor. Time spent telling you that you do not need professional medical help could be better spent consulting someone who does genuinely need medical attention and assistance. If you experience common and relatively mild conditions occasionally, you probably do not need to contact your doctor. If you are suffering from a common cold or the flu, for example, you can generally take care of yourself from home with over the counter medicines and relievants. Just make sure to use any products as directed on the packet and in their instructions. Only visit a doctor in regards to cold ands the flu if you are a vulnerable individual or if you start to experience a particularly high temperature, a fever, or if you have had an ongoing cough for more than a couple of weeks. Minors burns can be treated from home, as can small cuts and scratches or mild headaches. Only seek professional medical attention for more serious burns, deep cuts or wounds or wounds that have been created by an animal, a human bite, or metal, or ongoing or severe headaches.

Hopefully all of the above information has helped to clear up a little confusion in regards to when you should and should not seek professional medical help. If in doubt, you can always make an appointment, speak to a pharmacist, or make use of non-emergency services.

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