Faced with the saturation of emergencies, the CHU reminds patients that this service must take care, as a priority, of cases that require an immediate response.
With more than 3,300 followers on Twitter and more than 14,500 on Facebook, the Toulouse University Hospital (Haute-Garonne) is a hit on social networks. And the establishment intends to take advantage of this success to improve its operations. Trying to put an end to the saturation of his emergency department is now one of his priorities.
In a press release published on Tuesday, the establishment is concerned about the current situation. He writes that “since December 2016, the start of the influenza epidemic in the Occitanie region, the threshold of 300 patients received daily in the two adult emergency reception services of the Toulouse University Hospital of Rangueil and Purpan is very often outdated ”.
But this congestion of the service is not inevitable for the hospital. On the Web, the latter broadly disseminates the following message: “The emergency services are intended to take care of, and as a priority, vital emergencies which require an immediate response in terms of medical care and resources”. An essential reminder since, in fact, the establishment notes that the patients it receives “essentially come under consultation care”.
Who can I consult 24 hours a day?
For these patients, he thus gives the procedure to follow. For example, if your state of health does not justify a call to emergency medical assistance services (SAMU) or a trip to an emergency department but you want a medical response adapted to your needs (medical advice, an appointment – you with a doctor, a prescription renewal, etc.), the good reflex is to “always call a doctor before going,” indicates the CHU.
He specifies that from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., it is indeed possible to consult your usual doctor as soon as possible. “This will often prevent the symptoms from worsening,” he says. Outside of these hours, when the medical offices are closed, he then advises to call the number 39 66 “Allo doctor” (only accessible in the former Midi-Pyrénées region), which allows you to refer to a doctor on call, every night from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., weekends and holidays.
By telephone, the attending physician, or the general practitioner on duty, will assess the situation to find the most suitable solution for the patient’s state of health. On the other hand, in case of doubt and if a life is in danger, he recommends not to hesitate to contact 15 (SAMU) or 112 from a cell phone. “At center 15, a doctor assesses the situation and mobilizes the means adapted to the emergency”. Patients are warned, as with antibiotics, emergencies are not automatic!
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