Illustrative image. (source: TASR - Radovan Stoklasa)
It is the weekend, your health has deteriorated or you have been injured.
When should you go to the outpatient emergency service, known in Slovak as 'pohotovosť' or hospital emergency department, or 'urgent' in Slovak? On what grounds you should call an ambulance?
This is an overview gives you answer to questions above.
When to go to the outpatient emergency service
You should go to 'pohotovosť' if your health suddenly worsens, but in the life-threatening way, yet the visit cannot be delayed. The outpatient emergency service is divided into a service for adults, for children and dental emergency.
The service is intended for cases that a general practitioner would otherwise take care of. If you are not sure whether to go or wait until the morning, the following list provides reasons when the visit is warranted:
high fever that medication is unable to reduce,
a minor allergic reaction,
severe pain that is increasing,
abdominal or ear pain that doesn't stop,
muscular spasms,
fainting,
children's crying is inconsolable,
and similar minor conditions that require medical attention.
On the other hand, you should not visit the service in following cases:
serious life-threatening medical conditions such as a heart attack and serious injuries - which are treated either by hospital emergency departments or ambulance,
long-term health problems such as cough, runny nose, mild abdominal pain or short-term loose stools.
When the outpatient emergency service is available
Since the service replaces a general practitioner, it is available in the afternoon, evening hours, on weekends and holidays.
By law, the opening hours are as follows:
on weekdays from 16:00 to 20:00
on weekends from 8:00 to 20:00
What is the fee
Patients pay a fee of €2 for using the outpatient emergency service.
The same fee should also apply to patients who visited the hospital emergency department during the outpatient emergency service opening hours in a district without one.
Patients who are sent to the hospital emergency department after having been treated by the outpatient emergency service also pay €2.
Patients are exempt from the fee in the following cases:
immediately after an injury, which did not occur as a result of alcohol, drugs, or medication used in a way other than what was prescribed,
if a patient was hospitalised after treatment,
if they are minors placed by a court, child welfare authority in a facility,
if they are recipients of the Zlatá Jánskeho Plaketa award given to those who have donated blood,
or if the care provided is related to the patient's pregnancy.
Here is an overview of outpatient emergency services in Bratislava.
When to go to the hospital emergency department
Visit is warranted in case of a sudden change to one's health that poses immediate threat to life or a basic vital function, one that could endanger a patient's health should care not be provided; that causes sudden and unbearable pain, as well as alterations to a patient's behaviour and actions posing danger to themselves or others.
The following are treated:
injuries to organs, including fractures, lacerations immediately after they occur,
shock and other collapse states,
heart problems such as heart attack,
severe allergic reactions,
acute pain,
people considered to be a possible source of a rapidly spreading and life-threatening infection.
The following are not treated:
common illnesses such as cold, viral disease, sudden fever,
other less serious problems that can be treated by an outpatient emergency service or a general practitioner.
Opening hours and fees
The hospital emergency department operates 24/7. A €10 fee is charged with the exception of following situations:
an accident immediately after it occurred and was not caused by the use of alcohol, drugs or improperly used medications,
if the medical care provided lasted more than two hours,
if a patient was hospitalised,
if a patient is minor and their treatment was requested by a the facility in which the child was placed by a court or social service decision,
if a patient is a recipient of the Zlatá Jánskeho Plaketa award,
or if the medical care provided is related to the patient's pregnancy.
When to call an ambulance?
The emergency line is for life and health-threatening situations, as well as in the case of serious injury and serious accident. Call line 155 (or 112), for example, in the following situations:
impairment of consciousness, unconsciousness,
sudden cardiac arrest,
respiratory arrest,
breathing problems, choking,
severe allergic reactions with swelling of the face, tongue or throat,
stroke,
unusual pain or pressure in the chest radiating to the upper limbs, neck, back, often accompanied by weakness, nausea and shortness of breath,
serious accidents and injuries such as fractures, massive bleeding, head or spine injuries,
traffic accidents, falls, drowning,
poisoning with drugs or chemicals,
convulsive states such as epileptic seizures,
burns or frostbites,
overheating or hypothermia,
childbirth.
When calling 155, expect the medical operator to ask you questions that may seem unnecessary at first glance in the given situation.
"However, it is good to know that a medical operator needs enough information to properly assess the situation, regardless of how unimportant it seems to you," the website of the Emergency Services Operations Centre states.
© Sme
