3 Signs That You Need To Take Your Child In For Emergency Medical Care

As a parent, you have to walk a thin line between being overly sensitive about everything little cough or runny nose and waiting too long to see a doctor only to find out that your child’s appendix is about to burst. Especially if your child is doing something or experiencing something that you’re completely unfamiliar with, it can be very scary to try to ride it out and see if everything’s going to be fine without the intervention of a doctor. So if you’re worried about being either the parent who’s in the clinic with their child once a week or the parent who let their child walk around with an infection for days on end, here are three signs that you actually do need to take your child in for emergency medical care.

Possible Broken Bones

Every kid is going to get some bumps, bruises, and scrapes every once in a while. But when their little accident has you thinking that there might actually be a broken bone involved, it’s best to get them into the emergency room as soon as you can. While you can bring them to their pediatrician and an urgent care center, Johns Hopkins Medicine shares that actual emergency rooms have more to work with when it comes to dealing with broken bones. And if the injury isn’t taken care of quickly, it could cause even more damage and pain that will have to be dealt with later.

A Fever And…

When your kid spikes a fever, it can make any parent nervous. However, not all fevers warrant seeking out immediate medical attention. According to Lisa Fields, a contributor to WebMD.com, you really only need to be concerned if the fever is particularly high, like 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or if they have a fever along with something else. Other things that might accompany a fever that should have you getting into the ER could include looking very ill, being very young, or having a fever for a prolonged period of time.

Remember the ABCs

The areas of your child’s health that you should be the most concerned with are these ABCs: airway, breathing, and circulation. According to Rachelle Vander Schaff, a contributor to Parents.com, anything that’s going wrong in these three areas of your child’s body should have you headed to the hospital without question. So if your child isn’t getting enough air, has something stuck in their throat, or has lost a lot of blood or other bodily fluids, take him or her to the ER immediately.

To help you know whether or not you should be taking your child to the ER, consider using the information presented above as a guideline.