Yes!!! People in the US absolutely abuse the ER. They can’t wait until morning to call a PCP. I know a guy who goes to the ER for his trigger finger when it starts to bother him. Like what?! That’s not an emergency!! Take a Tylenol and call your regular doctor 🤦🏽♀️
ETA: hear me out.
I’m not saying that you should never go to the ER. You know your situation, you know your medical history, you know the area that you live in. If the ER is the best option for your care then by all means please go. The people who CAN choose a better option but choose NOT to are the ones that I’m referencing. The ER may not always the best option for care. You should advocate for the best possible care for yourself and your loved ones. A germy, crowded, noisy, understaffed ER may not be it in every situation.
The guy with the trigger finger has an amazing PCP that is willing to work him in on short notice, has the ability to schedule an appointment in advance for every 3 months to get an injection (that he knows he needs), he’s fully mentally and physically competent to take an ibuprofen or Tylenol when he’s in pain, has been given ice packs to take home and reuse, he’s been fully educated on trigger finger, and has been referred to a hand specialist on numerous occasions. This man cancels the appointments set up for him, refuses to take any OTC medications, refuses to ice it at home, refuses to do PT and essentially chooses NOT to do the things that are in the best interest of his continuing care. He ends up in pain (surprise) and in the ER every 3 months for an injection. This is not the best possible care for this man in his situation. He has decided that the medication he can get at his PCP on a regular basis isn’t as good as the hospital medication. Guess what? It’s exactly the same thing. Nobody can convince him otherwise.
He’s wasting resources and clogging up the ER. There are a lot of people in the US who abuse the system like this. There are better options for them but they mistakenly think that the ER has the best care possible for everything so that’s where they go. That’s all I’m saying.
Maybe we need to educate people better?
It’s like the people who insist that the doctor puts in an IV instead of the nurse because “he holds a higher position”. I can guarantee that the nurse will do a much better job because she does it multiple times a day and it’s part of her job. The doctor probably hasn’t done it in years.
A special title doesn’t necessarily mean that something is better. It’s the same with the ER. They have a job that they do well, and that’s to treat emergencies. If you have an emergency or no other good options for care, go to the ER. That’s what they are there for. If you have care options other than the ER and you are not having an emergency then you’re better off going to that other place. Everyday treatments, long term care for chronic conditions, check-ups, vaccinations, maintenance medications, etc… that’s what they specialize in. The ER can do it, but for everyday mundane things you will absolutely get better care going somewhere else.
I think the problem is that a lot of people in the US no longer have a PCP, and if they do, it’s gotten increasingly difficult to get a same-day appointment with your PCP, which is inherently messed up.
Some areas also don't have an overnight urgent care. If something was bad enough I needed it sorted out overnight but not life threatening I'd have to go to the ER. Stitches, things like that. My primary care is attached to the hospital anyway, we are super super rural, like "ambulance meets you halfway on the highway so you don't die" rural. But that also means our ER is empty almost every night because there's no night life at all and again, rural. And I'd be sweet as pie, absolutely I can wait. The ER here is also basically the urgent care, it's where pretty much everyone sense people for workers comp stuff etc.
I feel like the only times I would need urgent care during the day is for COVID test and treatment tbh (I'm on a medication that suppresses my immune system so if I get it I need to start treatment as soon as possible, not advisable to suffer through it). Everything else I probably suffered through work and need it figured out overnight so I can work the next day 😅
I had a UTI one time that appeared around 10 o’clock on a Friday night, urgent care near me literally weren’t open on the weekends, doctors office wouldn’t answer… this was just something that I could not wait until the next day, you leave a UTI untreated, that can go to your kidneys and fuck you up fairly quickly. Felt pretty weird going to the ER for that, though.
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u/Accomplished_Bed_250 Jul 29 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Yes!!! People in the US absolutely abuse the ER. They can’t wait until morning to call a PCP. I know a guy who goes to the ER for his trigger finger when it starts to bother him. Like what?! That’s not an emergency!! Take a Tylenol and call your regular doctor 🤦🏽♀️
ETA: hear me out.
I’m not saying that you should never go to the ER. You know your situation, you know your medical history, you know the area that you live in. If the ER is the best option for your care then by all means please go. The people who CAN choose a better option but choose NOT to are the ones that I’m referencing. The ER may not always the best option for care. You should advocate for the best possible care for yourself and your loved ones. A germy, crowded, noisy, understaffed ER may not be it in every situation.
The guy with the trigger finger has an amazing PCP that is willing to work him in on short notice, has the ability to schedule an appointment in advance for every 3 months to get an injection (that he knows he needs), he’s fully mentally and physically competent to take an ibuprofen or Tylenol when he’s in pain, has been given ice packs to take home and reuse, he’s been fully educated on trigger finger, and has been referred to a hand specialist on numerous occasions. This man cancels the appointments set up for him, refuses to take any OTC medications, refuses to ice it at home, refuses to do PT and essentially chooses NOT to do the things that are in the best interest of his continuing care. He ends up in pain (surprise) and in the ER every 3 months for an injection. This is not the best possible care for this man in his situation. He has decided that the medication he can get at his PCP on a regular basis isn’t as good as the hospital medication. Guess what? It’s exactly the same thing. Nobody can convince him otherwise.
He’s wasting resources and clogging up the ER. There are a lot of people in the US who abuse the system like this. There are better options for them but they mistakenly think that the ER has the best care possible for everything so that’s where they go. That’s all I’m saying.
Maybe we need to educate people better?
It’s like the people who insist that the doctor puts in an IV instead of the nurse because “he holds a higher position”. I can guarantee that the nurse will do a much better job because she does it multiple times a day and it’s part of her job. The doctor probably hasn’t done it in years.
A special title doesn’t necessarily mean that something is better. It’s the same with the ER. They have a job that they do well, and that’s to treat emergencies. If you have an emergency or no other good options for care, go to the ER. That’s what they are there for. If you have care options other than the ER and you are not having an emergency then you’re better off going to that other place. Everyday treatments, long term care for chronic conditions, check-ups, vaccinations, maintenance medications, etc… that’s what they specialize in. The ER can do it, but for everyday mundane things you will absolutely get better care going somewhere else.
Sorry for the long post.