Not every Russian knows how ambulance and urgent care medical care differ. According to the law, these are two different forms of providing medical care to the population. And their main difference is the state in which the patient is.How is an ambulance different from an ambulance?

Emergency ambulance is provided in case of acute diseases and conditions, as well as exacerbation of chronic diseases, if there is a threat to the patient's life. Emergency care is needed if there are no obvious signs of a threat to the patient's life.

Emergency departments exist on the basis of city polyclinics, and are also part of ambulance stations. For urgent help, an insured in the compulsory medical insurance system can independently apply to the polyclinic at the place of attachment. On an outpatient basis, assistance is provided by local general practitioners or pediatricians on the day of treatment. On holidays and weekends, ambulance teams provide emergency assistance. At the same time, the waiting time for an ambulance at home is no more than 2 hours from the moment the call is received.

Both an ambulance and emergency help can be called by a single number 03. The dispatcher himself determines which category a particular call belongs to, based on a detailed description of the symptoms. Also, each area of residence has its own emergency number, created on the basis of the polyclinic.


Responsibilities of the emergency medical doctor

Providing emergency medical care at home or on an outpatient basis, the doctor must:

- make full use of the means provided by medical and economic standards, including medicines and emergency diagnostics;

- accompany the patient until the next stage of urgent care, if there is an immediate threat to his health and life;

- provide quarantine and anti-epidemic measures in full;

- inform the patient about the procedure for treatment and diagnosis, the purchase of medicines and provide the necessary documents that will allow treatment at home or on an outpatient basis (certificates, prescriptions, referrals for diagnosis and treatment).

Diseases requiring urgent care *

- Sharp stomach. This name includes several diseases. This is observed, for example, in appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, acute intestinal obstruction, perforated stomach and duodenal ulcer, pancreatitis , acute peritonitis, acute inflammation of the uterine appendages, etc.

- Food poisoning, vomiting and diarrhea.

- Dizziness and headache, the elimination of which is not affected by taking drugs in the form of tablets.

- Pain in the heart or behind the sternum, which is observed in a patient with coronary heart disease or hypertension.

- Increased blood pressure if conventional medications do not work.

- Pain in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar or sacral spine that occurs suddenly.

- Body temperature above 38 degrees, cough, chills and shortness of breath.

- Acute urinary retention.

- Loss of the tube from the cystostomy.

* The type of urgent care is determined by the ambulance dispatcher after clarifying all the symptoms of the patient.