2.3 Emergency and Urgent Care
Brandon Censon MPH, CPH, RRT-NPS, CPFT, CPT
Emergency Care
Emergency care is the frontline of healthcare, equipped with specialists and critical resources to stabilize patients experiencing sudden illness or injury. Emergency departments are found in many hospitals, as well as in free-standing emergency departments. Patients are taken to the emergency department when they have a medical problem that is severe enough to be life-threatening. Common emergency or life-threatening conditions include stroke, heart attack, severe trauma, overwhelming infections, head injuries, and difficulty breathing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2024), there are about 130 million emergency room visits each year, and about 12.4% of these visits require a patient to be admitted to the hospital. Emergency care can be expensive, and patients can experience long wait times to receive medical care. Treatment is prioritized based on the acuity of injuries or illnesses, with the sickest patients receiving care first. This process is known as triage.
Urgent Care
Urgent care centers provide treatment for injuries and illnesses that are not life-threatening but require same-day medical attention. These clinics generally do not require appointments. However, wait times can be long due to heavy use of these facilities. Services provided at urgent care clinics may include treatment of minor cuts, sprains, broken bones, colds, flu, and some localized infections (American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine [AAUCM], n.d.). Most urgent care clinics treat both adults and children.
It is important to distinguish urgent care clinics from walk-in clinics. Walk-in clinics are typically located in or near retailers, treat a narrower range of non-life-threatening conditions, and strongly emphasize convenience and affordability.
A Day in the Life: Emergency Room Triage
Have you ever been to the emergency room and had to wait a long time despite people arriving after you? If so, this is an example of triage. Triage is a systematic way to categorize patients based on the severity of their illness or injury. It ensures that patients who need immediate care are treated before those with less severe conditions. Triage also applies to the allocation of staff and resources.
In general, there are five levels of medical care, ranging from no care needed to immediate care for life-threatening conditions. For example, Sharon arrives at the emergency department after a traumatic event impacting multiple organs. Shortly after, Cleo arrives at the emergency department with symptoms of a common cold or flu. In this scenario, Sharon would be seen first, due to her potentially life-threatening condition, while Cleo would be considered stable and would have to wait for care until resources are available.
Attributions
- Figure 2.2: Accident & Emergency Sign by lydia_shiningbrightly is released under CC BY 2.0
The severity or intensity of a condition or illness, helping to define the level of care that a patient will receive.
Refers to the sorting of individuals based on their need for immediate medical care.