Checklists are wonderful organising aids to help us make some of the most difficult yet important decisions in our lives. Without a checklist, we will be drowned by the myriad of choices, especially when it comes to healthcare and medical treatment. It is important to know when to seek medical treatment and attention. Many people who have suffered injuries often ignore it with the mentality that things will get better a few days later. While this is true for minor injuries, major ones cannot wait and the later you seek help, the lower the chances of recovery. Here is a checklist to help you seek the most appropriate treatment.
Pain
Pain is the body’s way of telling you that something somewhere isn’t right and it’s time you ought to do a health check. However, when pain already sets in, it’s often a tad too late. But this does not mean that you should sit back and do nothing! Understand the type of pain whether it comes on and goes away suddenly or it lingers for quite a fair bit of time. You should also try to find out the exact location of the pain and this can help you narrow down the possibilities.
Localised or Generalised?
Symptoms usually start generalised before zooming into a localised region. When you start to suffer from generalised discomfort, it’s time to visit a doctor and he will usually do an x-ray for you. If the problem is left ignored, it will often become localised and this will cause more problems and will often become very serious by the time you visit a doctor. However, some medical problems are very direct, such as an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear. Upon immediate impact and tearing of the ACL, there will be swelling and inability for the leg to bear your body weight. You will also know that you need to seek immediate treatment from an Orthopaedic surgeon.
Know the various types of specialist surgeons
There are so many specialist surgeons out there, from Cardiothoracic to Neurosurgeon to Orthopaedic. Understanding which part of your body is affecting you will help you seek the correct surgeon for the best advice. For example, you will not seek an ENT surgeon for ankle sprains. Neither will you seek a Gynaecologist for nose problems.
Above are 3 points that should be in any checklist for appropriate medical treatment. Although they are not comprehensive, there are still able to help you narrow down available treatment methods for you.
