Know When to Use Telemedicine, Urgent Care, or the ER for Kids
With the holidays in full swing, accidents and illness may happen at any time. It is always recommended that you try scheduling an appointment with your primary care doctor first. If that is not an option, Cook Children’s Health Care System ensures that our families can access health care at any time through a telehealth visit, an urgent care center, or an emergency department. To prepare for when you need care, know when to use Cook Children’s telemedicine, urgent care, and when to rush to the emergency department.
“For simple fever, cough, and congestion, your child can be seen in urgent care or by their pediatrician,” said Taylor Louden, M.D., medical director of emergency services at Cook Children’s Medical Center- Fort Worth. “Your wait times for simple illnesses will be much longer and visits much more expensive in the emergency department than if your child is seen in urgent care or by their pediatrician.”
He explains that doctors expect a fever to return after the Tylenol/Motrin wears off; however, for fevers lasting more than five days, or if a child appears ill, the emergency department is the appropriate place to be evaluated.
Urgent Care
When your child needs urgent care for things like X-rays, stitches, and illnesses that are not life-threatening but need medical attention the same day, you'll find the medical care you need at a Cook Children's urgent care clinic.
Cook Children’s Urgent Care clinics are not just kid-friendly; they are kid-only.
When to use Cook Children’s Urgent Care
- Ear infections/pain
- Strep/sore throats
- Cold symptoms
- Flu
- Mild dehydration
- Respiratory illnesses – including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia and asthma without severe breathing difficulty
- Sprains and possibly broken bones
- Minor cuts
- Prolonged vomiting
- Persistent diarrhea
- Infected bug bites
- Foreign body removal (marbles, beans and other interesting things)
- Urinary infection symptoms
- Pinworms, ringworm, rashes and pink eye
- Painful muscle strains
- Head injuries without loss of consciousness or vomiting
Virtual Urgent Care
Cook Children's patients with a MyCookChildren's account can video chat with one of our medical experts for non-urgent medical conditions without visiting the doctor's office.
This service is for patients who have minor medical conditions, and not for emergencies.
- Animal and insect bites
- Burns or cuts
- Circumcision check
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye) without other symptoms
- Constipation advice
- Covid-19*
- Diaper rash
- Fever advice
- Flu-like symptoms*
- Ingrown toenail
- Lice
- Mouth ulcers, thrush
- Rashes or skin infections
- Sore throat/strep throat*
- Urinary tract infections*
- Vomiting/diarrhea
- Wound care advice
*Drive-through testing available at Cook Children's Urgent Care locations if medically necessary.
When to use the Cook Children’s Emergency Department
Cook Children’s Health Care System has two medical centers with an Emergency Department for our Fort Worth and Prosper little ones. Parents should take their child to the Emergency Department if their child is unconscious, not responding, a bone is sticking out, or the situation seems critical. Dial 911 immediately for an ambulance. When your child's condition is life-threatening or might cause permanent harm, it is safer for your child to be transported via ambulance.
- Severe bleeding that does not stop after 15 minutes of direct pressure
- Severe allergic reactions
- Difficulty breathing
- Coughing up or vomiting blood
- Sudden severe joint pain with swelling
- Insect stings accompanied by breathing difficulties
- Swallowing poison or choking
- Not being able to move or speak
- Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea
- Gaping wound (edges won’t come together)
- Head injury with loss of consciousness, vomiting or causing dizziness/confusion
- Visible broken bones or dislocated joints
- Fever in infants under 8 weeks old
- Diabetes/blood sugar issues
