When to Take Your Child to Pediatric Urgent Care vs. the ER

Whenever your little ones are sick or hurt, you must quickly get them the care they need. Whenever you need to find them care now, you can have a pediatric urgent care, like Tulsa Pediatric Urgent Care in Tulsa, OK, which has Dr. Katie Dalton and Dr. Erin Grimes, or the ER. Which one is the right option, though?

When to Take Your Kid to the ER

The emergency room is there for care when you need immediate life or limb-saving treatment.  Emergency rooms are equipped with medical tools and staff that are trained to provide emergent medical care to the sickest patients.  They see patients based on their severity not first come first serve.  So, you will most likely experience a longer wait if your child is not deemed to have a life-threatening illness or injury.  

Any of the following could warrant a trip to the ER, including:

• Head injury with change in mental status or loss of consciousness
• Back or neck injury
• Motor vehicle accident
• Broken bone that pierces the skin
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Change in consciousness 
• Third-degree burn or burns covering a large area
• Choking
• Turning blue or stopped breathing
• Overdose or accidental ingestions
• Testicular pain
• Allergic reactions with tongue/lip swelling or difficulty breathing
• Eye injury with change in vision

When to Take Your Kid to a Pediatric Urgent Care 

Urgent care is the best place to take your children if they have non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries. It's the ideal place to take your children if they need care, but not necessarily emergent care. 

Some examples of when to take your children to urgent care include:

• Flu, RSV, Covid symptoms
• Cough and cold symptoms
• Allergies
• Asthma flare or wheezing
• Allergic reaction without trouble breathing or lip/tongue swelling
• Ear infections
• Pink eye or eye pain
• Fever
• Sinus infection
• First and second degree burns
• Fractures and sprains
• Wounds needing sutures or staples
• Rashes
• Diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea
• Abdominal pain
• Pneumonia
• Fractures
• Urinary tract infection
• Dehydration
• Skin infections
• Tick bites and tick illnesses
• Ear or nasal foreign body

Why Urgent Care Is Better for Non-Life-Threatening Issues

Overall, an urgent care visit is much less costly than an emergency room visit for almost any type of care. Besides saving you money, Tulsa Pediatric Urgent Care can save you time by using our call ahead scheduling.  This allows your family to spend less time at our facility and more time in the comfort of your home.  Moreover, our urgent care provides friendly, more pediatric personalized care than an ER would, making it a more pleasant visit for you and your children than at an ER.

Do Your Children Need Urgent Care? Give Us a Call Today.

At Tulsa Pediatric Urgent Care in Tulsa, OK, we’re available when your little ones need non-life-threatening care within our hours of operation. Dr. Dalton or Dr. Grimes can provide the care and treatment your children need. Call us today at 918-895-7808.