Health
‘Should I go to the ER or urgent care?’: Ask a doctor
When you’re feeling unwell and symptoms are quickly getting worse, you know you need medical attention — but it’s not always possible to get a same-day appointment with your primary care physician.
When sudden and severe sickness requires immediate care, the two most common options are to visit an urgent care or to head to a hospital emergency room — but how do you know which is best?
Fox News Digital spoke with multiple doctors to determine when an urgent care center will suffice and when a trip to the ER is warranted.
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When to go to an urgent care
Urgent care centers provide immediate health care services for walk-in patients, typically offering extended hours and same-day availability.
When sudden and severe sickness requires immediate care, the two most common options are to visit an urgent care or to head to a hospital emergency room. (iStock)
They can be considered a “middle ground” between a primary care doctor and the ER, according to Mayo Clinic.
There are 10,728 active urgent care clinics in the U.S. as of earlier this year, according to Definitive Healthcare in Massachusetts.
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Urgent care centers typically treat a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, and may have a treatment or procedure room for performing minor medical procedures such as stitches, casts and low-risk surgery under local anesthetic only, according to the same source.
Other services may include basic laboratory and imaging tests, as well as referrals for additional treatment.
These centers can be staffed by doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and other medical professionals.
Urgent care centers typically treat a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, and may have a treatment or procedure room for performing minor medical procedures. (iStock)
“If it is after hours or on the weekend, some conditions can accelerate pretty quickly and cannot wait until the next business day,” Mishi Jackson, M.D., lead clinician at Novant Health Union Cross Family Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital.
“For example, a simple bladder infection can spread to the kidney and bloodstream and cause bad outcomes.”
“Most patients are pretty good at determining what constitutes something minor versus something major.”
Jackson noted that not all urgent care centers offer the same services. She encourages patients to check in advance to make sure the center they are visiting can help with their needs.
“With minor injuries or illnesses, an urgent care facility may be appropriate,” Matthew Shannon, M.D., director of community emergency medicine at University of Florida Health in Gainesville, Florida, told Fox News Digital.
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“Most patients are pretty good at determining what constitutes something minor versus something major.”
Below are some of the conditions that can typically be treated at an urgent care, per Mayo Clinic’s website.
The ER is open 24/7 and is equipped to treat “life- or limb-threatening health conditions,” Mayo Clinic noted, such as seizure, stroke, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, heart attack or other escalated medical crises. (KYW)
When to head to the ER
The ER is open 24/7 and is equipped to treat “life- or limb-threatening health conditions,” Mayo Clinic noted, such as seizure, stroke, severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, heart attack or other escalated medical crises.
The emergency room is equipped with critical care services and personnel that an urgent care clinic doesn’t have, including specialists in cardiology, neurology and orthopedics, according to the same source.
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The ER will also have access to imaging and laboratory equipment that may not be available at an urgent care.
Below are some of the types of conditions that warrant a trip to the ER, as listed on Mayo Clinic’s website.
- Chest pain or pressure
- Compound fracture (bone that protrudes through the skin)
- Head injuries
- Pneumonia
- Seizures
- Severe abdominal pain
- Shortness of breath
- Sudden, severe headache, or paralysis or weakness
- Uncontrolled bleeding
Chest pain or pressure is one of the symptoms that warrant a trip to the ER, experts say. (iStock)
Other emergency conditions include high fever, fainting or sudden onset of symptoms like speech difficulties, confusion or impaired movement on one side of the body, according to Shannon.
A patient who has been involved in a significant motor vehicle crash should also visit the ER.
Patients may encounter wait times at emergency departments, Shannon noted.
“All patients who present to emergency departments around the country are triaged according to a system of seriousness of complaints, their medical history and vital signs,” he told Fox News Digital.
Patients may encounter wait times at emergency departments, a doctor warned. (iStock)
“Patients who are identified as ill are brought back quickly, so the medical team can begin their assessment,” he went on. “Trained emergency nursing staff and other providers are assessing you as a patient and administering first-line care.”
“Your care really begins right when you walk in the door and talk to a nurse.”
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If your condition is fairly mild, Shannon recommends trying to see your primary doctor, even if you have to wait a day.
“If you believe you can wait, it’s certainly reasonable to try to get your primary care to see you,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have enough primary care providers, and the demand for primary care continues to outstrip supply.”
“With minor injuries or illnesses, an urgent care facility may be appropriate,” a doctor said. (iStock)
When to call 911
If any of the following apply, you should call 911 immediately, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.
- Your condition is life-threatening and you need immediate medical attention
- You can’t move yourself or another person without causing additional harm
- You aren’t able to drive due to physical or emotional reasons and must be transported to a hospital ER
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Mayo Clinic advises calling 911 “if you are having difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, a life or limb injury, or signs of stroke or heart attack.”
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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