Sick or Injured? Consider Going to an Urgent Care Center

You or someone in your family is sick or injured. You know it cannot wait until the doctor’s office opens but it is a true medical emergency? For people whose medical issue cannot wait but who want to avoid a trip to an emergency room in hospital, there is another solution. Urgent Care clinics offer a lot of the same care you can get in an emergency room but can be a lot less stressful and expensive to visit.

In the United States, there are about 20,000 practicing urgent care clinic physicians. They treat a host of injuies and illnesses. Common ones include:

• Sprains and strains. Nearly 25,000 people in the United States sprain their ankle every day. If all of them go to the emergency room in hospital, giving them another place to get care for such an injury would do a lot to lessenandnbsp; the burden on hospitals.
• Broken bones. About 90% of all urgent care clinics can treat simple fractures. They can do x-rays of the injured area and set the bone. If your fracture does require a trip to the emergency room in hospital, they can send you there. The medical staff at walk in clinics can refer to another kind of care if they think their facility is not the best one to treat your illness or injury.
• Colds and other respiratory illnesses. The most common illness that is seen in urgent care centers today is a upper respiratory condition. These can make you or your family miserable enough to not want to wait for your family doctorand#39;s office to open and fitandnbsp; you in but do not warrant a trip to the emergency room in hospital. You can get the care you need without the hassle.
• Tavel medicine. Where do you go before you leave for a trip for vaccinations? Many walk in clinics offer vaccinations and innoculations that are needed for international travel. This is one time when your primary care doctor may not be able to help you and the emergency room in hospital is definitely notandnbsp; the place you should go. You can find a host of vaccinations and innoculations at walk in clinics that you may not be able to find elsewhere. That can also offer better advice about what medicine you should take with you. Many are more experienced with malaria prevention, for example, than other clinics. Call in advance to see if they take your insurance for these services and what their prices are.
• Stomach ailments and dehydration.andnbsp;Most people who are suffering from a stomach bug do not need to be seen in an emergency room in hospital. (This is not to sayandnbsp; that anyone who suspects they have appendicitis should opt for a clinic rather than going to a hospital.) Urgent care clinics can treat run of the mill stomach viruses and the related dehyrdration.

There are times when going to the emergency room in hospital is really what you need to do. Some reasons to go there first include: chest pain, head injuries, major fractures, anything with a large blood loss and more. If you have a primary care doctor, and it is always a good idea to have one, you can call their office and ask if they think you can be seen for your problem at an urgent care center or if you should go to a hospital.

Urgent care centers offer a lot of advantages over going to the emergency room. The wait time is often a lot shorter, the environment is a lot calmer and it costs a lot less. Medical treatment in emergency rooms is the most expensive form of care. They are also open to provide care most of the time. Nearly 85% of all urgent care clinics are open seven days a week. This could be the reason that about three million people seek out care in one each week. For people who are afraid of doctors, urgen care centers are a lot less stressful than going to the emergency room. The bottom line is that if you need treatment that cannot wait, consider a trip to an urgent care clinic.