When to go to the ER

Pediatrician Alan Nagar, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, shares advice for parents on how to decide to take your child to the ER or pediatrician's office
Pediatric First Aid - When To Take Your Child To The ER
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When to go to the ER

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As a parent, trying to decide whether your child should be brought to their pediatricians office or an emergency department is really a complex, sometimes, question to answer. There are a few things that I would suggest. One is that if you as a parent believe your child may need blood work to determine what's wrong. If your child needs an x-ray or sub-specialty care. For instance, if your child is having intestinal problems and you believe that your child may need to see a specialist who studies intestinal or stomach diseases, then it's probably worthwhile to go directly to emergency department. On the other hand, if it's a disease or a selection of symptoms, for which, you think that you can get knowledge from your pediatrician or antibiotic or cold medications. If you believe that it's relatively straight forward or simple, then going to a pediatrician office makes the most sense. Probably, the best advice is if you are unsure, call your pediatrician to guide you, so that you can get, most expeditiously, the best care for your child.

Pediatrician Alan Nagar, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, shares advice for parents on how to decide to take your child to the ER or pediatrician's office

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Alan Nager, MD, MHA

Pediatrician, Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. Alan Nager is Head of the Division of Emergency and Transport Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Nager received his undergraduate degree in Public Heath and Child Psychology, his graduate degree in Healthcare Administration, his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School and his training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  He has lectured extensively on a variety of emergency medicine topics, appeared numerous times in the media, and published extensively on topics such as dehydration, trauma, mental health, disaster preparedness, etc. He has also authored a children’s book entitled, Angels in Action: One Day in the Emergency Department.

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Transcription: 
As a parent, trying to decide whether your child should be brought to their pediatricians office or an emergency department is really a complex, sometimes, question to answer. There are a few things that I would suggest. One is that if you as a parent believe your child may need blood work to determine what's wrong. If your child needs an x-ray or sub-specialty care. For instance, if your child is having intestinal problems and you believe that your child may need to see a specialist who studies intestinal or stomach diseases, then it's probably worthwhile to go directly to emergency department. On the other hand, if it's a disease or a selection of symptoms, for which, you think that you can get knowledge from your pediatrician or antibiotic or cold medications. If you believe that it's relatively straight forward or simple, then going to a pediatrician office makes the most sense. Probably, the best advice is if you are unsure, call your pediatrician to guide you, so that you can get, most expeditiously, the best care for your child.