Twitter
Facebook
Its 2 o’clock in the morning and you’re awakened by your 2-year-old with a fever of 100.2 and a slight cough. Should you take your child to the emergency department or wait to be seen by your primary care provider?
Unfortunately, this is an all too common scenario that families encounter on a daily basis. So, the question remains, how and when do you make the decision to go to the ED?
To help with this important decision, we would like to provide some information and guidance concerning your options for medical care in the KMC. But first, it is important to understand how medical illnesses are classified so you can obtain the best care appropriate for your condition.
It’s important to understand that injuries and medical illnesses are often classified into three major categories: routine, acute and emergent.
ROUTINE: medical issues are non-acute in nature and are evaluated by your primary care manager in the clinic, usually within seven days. Examples include muscle sprains/strains, rashes and mild urinary complaints.
ACUTE: issues have more of a sudden onset and can also be treated in the clinic by your PCM within 24 to 48 hours. Examples of acute issues are cold symptoms, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, conjunctivitis (pink eye), headaches, or ear infections.
EMERGENT: issues are acute in nature that may cause a threat to life, limb or eyesight and require immediate treatment at the nearest emergency department. Examples of emergent issues include chest pain, difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, poisonings, eye injuries, broken bones or significant trauma. Note, these emergent issues require immediate evaluation in the nearest military or civilian emergency department.
With the understanding of illness categories listed above, the next step is to see what care options are available to you and your family.
Option 1, self-care: This option is for some acute and routine issues. It allows individuals to assume responsibility for home care, potentially eliminating the need for a provider visit.
The AF provides self-care guidance via a book called “Taking Care of Yourself,” which is free and can be picked up in the Ramstein Family Health Clinic lobby. This publication provides easy to use home care flowcharts for more than 200 medical symptoms. It also provides valuable information on managing medical
emergencies, suggestions for over-the-counter medications, disease prevention, child and adult vaccinations, and living a healthy lifestyle.
The MDG will provide free, special training in April on a new program called Self-Initiated Care Kit. The training will first be offered at the wings spouse’s orientation. It will provide general self-care training as well as information on the appropriate use of over-the-counter medication. Individuals who complete the training will then be allowed to pick-up a limited amount of OTC medications at the Ramstein pharmacy for self-care without a PCM visit. Look for an in-depth article to follow soon in the Kaiserslautern American.
Another option to find heath care information is through Tricare online at www.tricareonline.com.
Option 2, Nurse Advice Line: There is a dedicated nurse advice line staffed 24/7 to answer routine medical questions, provide home care instructions, book a clinic appointment, if required, or direct care to the closest emergency department as appropriate. Call the Nurse Advice Line at 00-800-4759-2330 toll free in Germany.
Option 3, Tricare online: For non-emergent issues, simply log on to Tricare online and book your own appointment in seconds, or to review the site to gather self-care related information.
Tricare online provides useful links to health care services, resources and information via a secure Internet connection. Registered users can access appointments 24/7. To register, visit www.tricareonline.com.
Option 4, clinic appointment: For non-emergent acute and routine issues during duty hours, call the Care Line to get an appointment or to place a telephone consult with your PCM. Requests for non-appointment telephone consults with your PCM team can be made for simple issues such as profile updates, active medication refills, or health care questions. Telephone consults for non-acute issues will be answered within 72 business hours. Note: Department of Defense civilians must establish a PCM in the local community.
Option 5, emergency department: For acute, emergent issues requiring immediate attention, this option is reserved for those with the most serious medical needs. The LRMC ED is located on Kirchberg Kaserne, Bldg. 3711, and is open 24/7 for your emergent needs. Due to privacy restrictions, the ED is not able to discuss medical problems over the telephone. Note: The ED is not an appropriate choice to receive care for acute or routine issues. Instead, use options 1 to 4 above.
As you can see, there are many health care options available to you and your family in the KMC, and knowing those options can greatly expedite you getting the appropriate level of care when you need it the most.
For more information and to see a list of contact numbers, visit www.ramstein.af.mil or www.kaiserslauternamerican.com.
(Courtesy of the 86th Medical Group)
