The winter school holidays have already began or will start soon, depending on where in Australia you reside. Maybe you are planning country escape.
Rural tourism is crucial for job growth and the sustainable development of small rural towns. However, in the case of rural emergency departments (*4*)holidays this is usually the busiest time.
Nobody plans to go to the emergency room on the holidays. However, in the event you need health care, there are sometimes other ways to access it aside from visiting a rural hospital.
Here’s why it is so essential to leave rural emergency rooms when you’ve a life-threatening illness or injury and pursue other options to seek care.
We are wanting doctors and nurses
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports a big shortage of nurses and specialist doctors in rural towns compared to the employment level in large cities.
This signifies that many small rural emergency departments employ only nurses, with doctors on call or consulting remotely from a bigger hospital.
IN test published earlier this yr, my colleagues and I discovered that this dynamic poses particular challenges for rural emergency nurses when critically sick patients present to them.
One of the nurses told us:
We need more staff. I mean, I take a look at these emergency TV shows, you see them in Kings Cross, in the big hospitals at home or abroad, they get a call (…) resuscitation is coming. Everyone is standing around the bed with all the signs on them, the airway/circulatory/team manager (…) and here we’ve got two people. This is just different. It’s only a false sense of reality. This is ridiculous.
Therefore, emergency departments ought to be used only in emergency situations. These include:
- sudden fall
- chest pain or tightness lasting longer than ten minutes
- respiratory difficulties
- serious mental health condition
- uncontrolled bleeding.
Responsible use of emergency departments can reduce pressure on staff. This will make sure that the most seriously sick patients receive the immediate care they need.
What are my alternatives?
Here are 4 ways you and your loved ones can higher prepare to your country vacation and avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
1. Pack your scripts and medical history summary
Take the mandatory scripts and medications with you. This reduces the need to visit your local emergency department and ensures you’ve what you would like during your stay.
Do you suffer from a chronic disease, have you lately had an illness or surgery? Be sure to talk to your GP before leaving. They can provide a health summary that features recent treatments and medications. Alternatively, if you’ve access to My Health Cardask your loved ones doctor to prepare a joint health summary and send it to your records. If you would like medical care, this summary will help with a fast assessment.
2. Call Healthdirect, NURSE-ON-CALL or 13HEALTH, depending on where you’re
Healthdirect is a 24-hour health advice telephone line (often known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria or 13HEALTH in Queensland). By calling the appropriate number, you will probably be connected to a registered nurse who will ask you a series of questions and supply evidence-based advice and guidance. The Healthdirect website also offers an interactive page symptom checker to advise whether you need to see your GP, go to the emergency department or manage your symptoms at home (or on this case on holiday):
3. Do you would like a family doctor? What about GP telehealth services?
In case of minor health problems or non-urgent problems, Primary care physician telehealth services is a distant access option that could be used away from home. Before you go, check along with your GP to see in the event that they offer it telehealth service.
4. Go to an urgent care clinic
The Australian government funded the opening Urgent care clinics across the country. These clinics provide medical evaluation and take care of urgent illnesses or injuries. They were created as an answer to get people away from crowded emergency departments. However, these urgent care clinics usually are not suitable for people experiencing emergency or life-threatening conditions.
Urgent care clinics are perfect for illnesses and injuries that require urgent treatment, comparable to gastroenteritis, minor infections, lacerations, and back pain. Check Here to find the nearest clinic.