The flu is a virus that runs its course and resolves spontaneously in the vast majority of cases. Hospitalization is necessary when symptoms of potential complications appear, especially respiratory difficulties, especially in elderly or frail patients. In these cases, it's best to contact your family doctor or, in the case of more severe symptoms, go to the hospital.
Paolo Pinna Parpaglia , director of the Emergency Medicine Complex Structure at Sassari hospital, reiterated this after the alarm was raised yesterday about the "suffering" of Sardinia's emergency rooms due to the peak in flu cases.
Currently, the AOU Sassari reports, approximately 20% of daily emergency room visits are related to symptoms attributable to influenza and seasonal respiratory syndromes. These are mostly mild cases that can and should be managed at home with rest, hydration, symptomatic medications, and the support of a general practitioner.
"If you have classic flu symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, and muscle aches, the emergency room can't offer anything more than what you can do at home," adds Pinna Parpaglia.
Unjustified use of the emergency room, health authorities warn, also has significant consequences: longer waiting times, increased crowding, and the risk of contagion in already busy environments, as well as diverting resources from truly urgent cases.
"The Emergency Room must remain the place for emergencies and urgencies," emphasizes Serafinangelo Ponti, general director of the AOU of Sassari. "When it is used as an alternative to the general practitioner or community services, it creates an overload that penalizes everyone, especially those patients who most need timely care. Responsible use of healthcare services is essential to safeguard the quality of care and patient safety."
The AOU of Sassari therefore reiterates its invitation to the population to stay home in case of mild symptoms , limit contact to avoid the spread of the infection, contact their family doctor if symptoms persist or worsen, and go to the emergency room only in the presence of truly urgent conditions, in particular breathing difficulties or sudden worsening of clinical conditions.
(Unioneonline)