No matter where you live, a 24-hour urgent care center is likely just around the corner. This is an incredible alternative to the emergency room when a long wait is just not worth it. Many times urgent care is much more efficient, especially with the ability to see all patients as soon as they come in.
Definition of Urgent Care
Similar to the emergency room, these centers are usually open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Urgent care centers offer quality professional medical treatment for many different injuries and illnesses. Luckily, the doctors available at these centers are available for immediate care within a few miles of your home, at all hours of the day. While the ER may be best for a life-threatening situation like a heart attack or severe bleeding, sprains, strains, coughs, colds, abdominal pain, and other not-so-severe health issues.
24 Hour Urgent Care and Walk In Clinics
You may easily assume that conditions like insomnia, ADHD, ADD, hormone loss, and severe pain should be addressed by your family care doctor or primary care physician, while also having to wait for the first appointment time available. However, there is no reason to do this, with the ability to walk into many clinics at any time day or night, no matter the health concern that you are facing. If immediate care is needed the urgent care center has doctors who are able to provide prescriptions, treatment, and referrals to the proper specialist if needed.
Choosing Urgent Care Over The Emergency Room
Often, the ER is assumed to be the most reliable immediate treatment option for every potential illness or injury. However, there are times when a medical issue is not as severe as it appears to be from the surface. One important thing to remember in deciding is that urgent care is usually very close to home, taking patients consistently, and with much shorter wait times than the ER. Some positive factors to consider when choosing your location to visit include:
- About 85% of all urgent care centers are open every day.
- Roughly 80% of urgent care centers treat fractures on site.
- Between five and twenty percent of Americans get the flu every year.
- About one billion colds are diagnosed and treated in America annually.
No matter what has happened, there is often a good reason to take urgent care initially before facing the challenge of the emergency room. One benefit is that you will be able to gain treatment, without a wait that could allow a health issue to become more serious to a potentially life-threatening state. With the number of flu patients who become fatally ill each year, this is definitely something to consider, along with the basic sprains and strains, light fractures, and other issues that can be treated immediately.
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