Most people have heard of urgent care centers, even if they’re never visited one. You may even have wondered what does urgent care treat and if there is an urgent care near me. The answer is that urgent care centers provide walk in medical care for most common illnesses, injuries, and ailments. This means that for most childhood injuries and illnesses, such as colds and coughs, ear infections, allergies, fractures, and such, your neighborhood walk in clinic is the best choice for quick and quality medical treatment.
What is urgent care?
Urgent care is a new model of primary healthcare, offering walk in medical services for all kinds of common illnesses and injuries. These centers are conveniently located and you don’t need to make an appointment in advance to see a doctor. This makes them a great alternative to rushing to the emergency room at the local hospital or waiting weeks for a doctor’s appointment. Especially for families with young kids, it can be a good idea to keep track of the location of the nearest urgent care centers.
Urgent care centers provide treatment for most non-life-threatening conditions when emergency care is not necessary. This covers the entire range of childhood illnesses and injuries, from colds and coughs to fractures. Their convenience has made urgent care clinics a popular choice, and more than 3 million people visit urgent care centers each week according to figures from the Urgent Care Association of America.
What does urgent care treat?
Urgent care centers treat all common ailments and illnesses as well as injuries. In fact, they can serve as primary health care services. Common childhood ailments like ear infections, allergies, and colds can require immediate care. Urgent care offers an alternative to a tedious visit to the emergency department. They also offer sports and work physical exams, travel shots and other medical services.
Colds and ear infections are common childhood ailments. Children catch anywhere from six to ten colds a year. Ear infections are common and also very painful for the sufferer. Kids are especially prone to these and five out of six will have had at least one ear infection before they turn three. Around 40% of all kids, who may be more susceptible, will have had three or more ear infections by that age.
Why choose urgent care?
Especially for families with kids, urgent care offers a new model of primary health care. It offers quality medical care with a high level of convenience. There’s no need to make an appointment to see a doctor, and walk ins don’t have to wait a long time either. At about 60% of all walk in urgent care centers, patients have to wait less than 15 minutes to see a physician or mid-level provider.
Walk in clinics have weekend and extended hours, which makes it easier to stop by before or after work. As many as 65% of the centers have a physician on-site at all times. Many centers also have onsite diagnostics and pharmacies, making for single-stop convenience for all medical needs.
If you’ve ever wondered what does urgent care treat, the answer is, pretty much all common injuries and illness that don’t need emergency care. The centers can provide pediatric care, which makes them a convenient choice for parents with young children. The convenience has made this a popular model of healthcare.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.