When to call a doctor home in Kolkata, and when to go to hospital

I say this to families every week. Calling a doctor home is a good decision for many problems. It is the wrong decision for a few problems that cannot wait for a car in Kolkata traffic.

Please read this before you book. It is the same advice I would give my own family.

Call a doctor home for these

Fever that needs a look, a cough, a urine infection, loose motion with weakness, high sugar with the person still talking and drinking, a dressing that needs a fresh eye, blood pressure that has been up for days, or an elderly parent who is 'not themselves' but is awake and breathing normally. These are home-visit problems. The person is safer in their bed than in a queue.

A doctor can check the pulse, the chest, the belly, the sugar, and the medicines. They can tell you to continue, to change a dose, or to get a test in the morning.

Go to a hospital now for these

Do not wait for a home visit if there is chest pain, one side of the body suddenly weak, the face pulled to one side, words not coming, a fit, bleeding that will not stop, severe breathlessness, a person who will not wake, or a child who is limp and not drinking. These need an emergency department. A doctor at the door in forty minutes is too late for them.

If you are unsure, treat it as an emergency. You can always be told it was safe to go home. You cannot get the hour back.

The grey area, said plainly

Very high fever with confusion. Sugar so high the person is vomiting and drowsy. A fall with head injury in an older person. Pain in pregnancy. These can start as a call and become a hospital trip. A doctor on a home visit should say that clearly, and help you decide, not sit and 'observe' while the evening goes.

On Clinisio, a home visit is booked for the address you saved, when a doctor can come. Use it for the bedside problems. For the sudden frightening ones, go to hospital first. That is good medicine, and it is also how we want the product used.