A virtual visit during Spring Break can save the day

No one plans to waste precious vacation time sitting in the emergency room. Instead plan on using a virtual visit for any health care needs or medical mishaps during your vacation.

The average length of an emergency department visit is two hours and 15 minutes which doesn’t include driving time according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. For a minor injury such as a sprained ankle or a bothersome condition such as an earache — neither of which are a true emergency requiring an ER visit — you can wind up spending half a day of your vacation or more trying to get care for it. Another choice is to find a local urgent care center which may be stressful without a car.

Your best option for minor medical conditions might be an online doctor visit as Reid Health Virtual Visits are available 365 days per year just like the ER. However this service costs just $49 and you won’t need to wait.

When to use a virtual visit

Virtual visits are the perfect solution for any of these common Spring Break health setbacks:

• Bee stings and other bites – You got stung by something and want to check if your reaction is normal and how to relieve the pain itching or swelling.
• Nasty cuts and bruises – You felt a searing tear in the bottom of your foot while swimming in the ocean and are wondering whether you need stitches or a tetanus shot.
• Earaches coughs sore throat diarrhea or nausea – Someone in the family came down with an earache or symptoms of a cold or virus and want to know if they need medication and how to reduce symptoms.
• Sprains and strains – Your ankle is swollen or you bumped your knee and want to find out if you need an X-ray.
• Rashes and hives – You woke up with a weird itchy rash and need to relieve the itching.
• Prescription refills and questions – You forgot to refill your prescription at home or you have a question about a chronic condition.

While a virtual visit is the perfect solution when the situation or symptom is bothersome but minor virtual visits are not for severe life-threatening symptoms or injuries that warrant a trip to the ER.

How to use a virtual visit while on vacation

Virtual visits operate online the same way as video calling so you’ll see the health care provider and they can see you. It’s a good idea to create an account with a provider and download any necessary mobile apps to your smartphone or tablet and test them out before vacation.

A virtual visit may be all you need for minor health concerns so you can get back to having fun on your vacation.

Image source: MorgueFile