Do You Need Emergency Care?

For each of the following scenarios, decide whether you should seek emergency medical care or treat at home.

You burn your hand on the stove.

Treat at home. In most cases, you can treat minor burns at home. However, if your skin looks white or charred, go to the nearest emergency room right away.

A friend cuts his or her hand and the edges of the wound are jagged.

Emergency. When a wound has jagged edges, get to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible. You should also go to an emergency room if a wound is deep or will not stop bleeding after you apply pressure for 10 minutes.

A family member is experiencing chest pain.

Emergency. Quick treatment for heart attack can help minimize damage to the heart muscle and increase the chances of a complete recovery. So if you, or anyone around you, experiences chest pain, do not wait. Call 9-1-1 immediately!

Your child gets a nosebleed.

Treat at home. But get help if the bleeding does not stop after 15 minutes, or if the nosebleed is the result of an injury.