Should I Call the Doctor or the Nurse?
Sep 20, 2021
If your loved one receives in-home care, any new illnesses, injuries, or symptoms can be upsetting and confusing. How do you know when to call the doctor and when its best to start with your in-home nurse?
In a life-threatening emergency, you should always call 911. Emergencies older adults might face include:
Chest pain
Heart attack
Serious fall
Stroke
Sudden dizziness, confusion, or disorientation
Trouble breathing
But for less urgent needs, you potentially can avoid a trip to the urgent care clinic or emergency room by first checking with your nurse or doctor.
When to call the doctor
Outside of emergencies, older adults need to see the doctor when a medical condition gets worse or a new problem develops. There are also important wellness checks and regular check-ups that should not be neglected.
If you have to call 911 for your loved one or take them to the emergency room, make sure to update their primary care doctor and home care nurse on whats happened. The care team might need to modify or add new restrictions, medications, or treatments into your loved ones care plan.
When to call your loved ones home care nurse
Many healthcare-related issues can go to theirin-home carenurse first. Our BrightStar Care nurses are experienced RNs who are seasoned at narrowing down whats wrong, and determining if the clients doctor needs to be involved.
Every BrightStar Care franchise has a registered nurse who serves as director of nursing and is actively involved with each client in a number of ways, such as:
Care plan creation
Home visits to see how the client is doing and whether theyre satisfied with their care
Regular check-ins with clients and their loved ones about how the client is doing
Supervision of in-home caregivers
Because our nurses see their clients regularly, they tend to know when somethings not right. They can investigate whether the client has experienced any new symptoms, and they can bring their concerns to the client or their loved ones. This nurse advocacy is one way BrightStar Care delivers A Higher Standard of Care to our clients and their families. If our certified nursing assistants (CNAs) notice something wrong while theyre assisting with daily routine care, they know to report it to one of our nurses so we can investigate these potential issues.
If the issues are dangerous or life-threatening, your loved ones nurse may advise calling 911 or going to the emergency room. For other issues, they might do some detective work to determine whether your loved one is sticking to their care plan, such as taking all medications when indicated or getting enough sleep, before recommending a call to the doctors office.
Save time with fewer appointments
With nursing care at home, your loved one might not need to go to the doctors office as often for routine care. Our in-home nurses can handle many of theseskilled nursingneeds for clients, such as:
Complex wound care
Diabetes management
Intravenous infusion therapy
Ventilator care
Dont be afraid to lean on them as a resource if you or your loved one has questions about their care or if you need help determining when its time to take things to the next level.
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