Acute Care
Acute care is simply an active treatment for short-term needs such as immediate medical care for an injury or serious illness that occurs suddenly, such as broken bones or an asthma attack. It differs from long-term care for chronic health conditions.
Acute health conditions may be a result of trauma, disease, or recovery after surgery. Hospitals provide acute care for life-threatening situations while family medical practices treat conditions requiring urgent but non-life-threatening care. Acute care providers help reduce the need to visit hospital emergency rooms for non-life-threatening situations.
What conditions need acute care services?
Examples of acute conditions treatable at iHealMed are: UTI’s, Covid exposures, sore throats, cough, rash or poison ivy exposure, conjunctivitis, and infected wounds.
Examples of acute conditions that should go to see a physician in the ER are: severe abdominal pain, injuries from motor vehicle accidents, chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, facial droop, stroke symptoms, traumatic injuries with possible broken bones or internal injury, severe back or flank pain, confusion, delirium, overdose of medications or drugs, suicidal ideations, and severe headache. Again, if you experience life-threatening emergencies, like a heart attack, stroke or a severe traumatic injury, call 911 or seek immediate emergency care at the closest hospital.
Is acute care the same as primary care?
Primary care providers focus on general health care, preventive care and overall patient health education and wellness. Your primary care provider is your first point of contact for any health questions, long-term health care needs, and consults with specialists. An acute care provider may provide some primary care services but can also provide urgent care needs that help treat severe conditions requiring specialized knowledge of emergency care. Emergency medicine, Internal medicine and Family medicine providers can serve patients with acute and primary care needs.
To schedule an acute care appointment at iHealMed, call the office or book an appointment online today.
