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massguy66 t1_iwpxe1o wrote

just to add here. my mother was an ER nurse for decades a few towns over. she said there is a staggering amount of people that goto to the ER for the smallest thing and definitely do not need to be there.

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id0ntwantyourlife t1_iwq1foa wrote

Yup, this is honestly probably the biggest cause of delays at the ER. Instead of just calling a physician or urgent care first, people go to the ER for everything (and I get that vibe from reading comments here too). If you are actually having an emergency, no ER will make someone wait for hours on end.

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Sloth_are_great t1_iwrd2ty wrote

Urgent cares are notoriously awful. They have also been sending people to the ER for things they used to be able to treat themselves. Also many PCPs won’t be able to see patients urgently or on the weekends. It’s all messed up.

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FalsePattern6258 t1_iwt1nz1 wrote

I really like the idea of an urgent care but I agree, I have seen and heard of some abysmal medical care taking place at urgent cares that I've lost all trust in them.

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j_allosaurus t1_iws9vvz wrote

Every time I’ve been to an urgent care lately they’ve sent me to the ER and basically yelled at me for coming in.

I went in because my asthma was worse than usual and I needed stronger meds for it, but it wasn’t actually a full-blown attack. I tried to make an appointment with my PCP’s office and they said they had no available appointments for six weeks and to go to urgent care. Urgent care said “they can’t treat asthma” and to go to the ER. I ended up arguing with them and they finally gave me the meds.

Our health care system is crazy overburdened and broken and it’s all exacerbating that. People end up in the ER for little things for so many reasons but most of them are not there because they’re overreacting. Not saying that’s what you’re saying, just some context.

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