When should you listen to a chatbot and go to the emergency room?

not medical advice, but about having numbers to call during a stressful situation.

When my friend accidentally took a bunch of drugs that weren't supposed to be mixed together, I got stuck in analysis paralysis that wasted precious time. I was debating with a chatbot about whether he should go to the emergency room or if it was ok to wait it out at home.

The hesitation with going to the emergency room is bracing for the "nothing ever happens" outcome. You wait an hour, spend a fortune, and a doctor tells you to take a tylenol and come back if it gets worse.

But if you wait it out, things could go badly fast! And the "better safe than sorry" voice gets louder and louder.

Meanwhile, not making a decision has the same result as deciding to wait.

That's when I realized I needed a protocol in case this happens again. A plan that tells me my options and whether to go the emergency room or waiting it out at home. Luckily, there are always more options!

A personal rule of thumb for me is to get out of my head as much as possible and talk to a professional who can give me a clear direction instead of arguing with a chatbot.

I wish I knew about the 24/7 advice line earlier. Many insurances have it and the nurses can give you medical advice. I searched up "kaiser 24/7 advice line" and added it to "Non emergency advice line" on my contacts. I recommend you searching for your provider's number and saving it.

This is specific, but if you mixed medications or your child ate a plant, you can call the Poison Control line and they can help you what to do next. I have 8002221222 saved as "Poison control" in my contacts.

Urgent care is kind of an in-between. If it's not a life-threatening situation but you still need to see a doctor, you could go to urgent care or a Carbon Health-equivalent which could be faster and cheaper than the ER.

By having these numbers saved, I have options. The next time I'm not sure what to do, I can break out of a debate with a chatbot. Chatbots are ok for initial exploration, but when analysis paralysis is stopping you from taking action, the best next step isn't another chat prompt, it's pulling up your contacts and calling the right expert.