Urgent Care Clinic or Emergency Room? Accident or Injury
Injuries and accidents can happen at any moment and time; given that we are exposed to situations daily that may all lead to an accident or an injury. There are lots of situations that can lead to an accident, for example, when at home we can get into an accident or injure ourselves when in the kitchen preparing food, in the yard or farm working with implements and tools. We can also get into an accident or suffer an injure when at work, especially for those who work with machinery and equipment. Accidents and injuries can also happen when one is exercising and doing sports or auto accidents like crashing your car, motorcycle among others. Bottom line is, we are exposed to hazards daily that mean that suffering an accident or injury, though not something we would wish to happen, is something that is almost inevitable at one time or the other. The subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com argue that the degree and severity of the accident or injury is what will determine the mode of treatment with the minor ones being easily handled at home. However, for those that require medical attention, this article will look to highlight those that should be taken to an urgent care clinic and those that should be taken to an emergency room.
Starting with the urgent care clinics, it is advised that only those accidents and injuries that require medical attention but are not emergencies should be handled here as urgent care clinics are not equipped to handle severe injuries and trauma from accidents. If the accident or injury has led to a wound that, though minor, may need stitching, then you can head over to an urgent care clinic and they will take care of that for you. If you have an accident leading to an injury in the extremities that is minor but needs casting, then you can also head over to an urgent care clinic for treatment as putting on casts is something that can be done here comfortably. If the accident or injury led to a strain or sprain in the extremities, then this can also be handled at an urgent care clinic as explained in detail over at frontlineer.com. If you are also experiencing some pain after an accident or injury, then you can also visit an urgent care clinic for evaluation, especially if the pain persists a couple of days after suffering the accident or injury.
What is clear from the above is that, when it comes to accidents and injuries, only the cases that are not medical emergencies and are as such minor can be treated at an urgent care clinic. For more severe cases of accidents and injuries, a visit to an emergency room is your best bet, with frontlineer.com being the best option available out there. Some of the red flags to look out for as far as accidents and injuries are concerned include if you suffer a loss of consciousness afterwards. If this happens then an emergency room is your best bet. Accidents and injuries that lead to severe bone breaks and fractures in the extremities, such as bone is visible or there is visible deformity should also lead to a visit to an emergency room. Breaks and fractures in other body parts like the neck, back, skull, ribs, sternum among others should always be treated at an emergency room no matter the severity. If the accident or injury affects sensitive parts or areas of the body such as the eyes, ears and genitals, they should also be taken to an ER as should deep, extensive gashes and cuts. Accidents leading to injuries to the neck, back and spinal cord should also be treated at an emergency room and not an urgent care clinic. If the accident or injury leads to numbness or even total paralysis in the arms, legs, hands or face, then you should also be taken to an emergency room as soon as possible. The same applies to crush injuries and accidents leading to amputations, whether partial or total.
The reason why an emergency room is preferred to an urgent care clinic when it comes to the serious cases of accidents and injuries is the fact that it has the facilities to deal with such. For diagnosis, while an urgent care clinic may have an X-ray machine, an emergency room has that and then some including CT scans, CAT scans, ultrasound machines among many others that will help with ascertaining the severity of injury, as per frontlineer.com. emergency rooms are also able to carry out sedation, unlike urgent care clinics, something that is crucial in dealing with severe cases of accidents and injuries given the pain involved as well as surgery is required. The fact that ERs have facilities to admit patients means that it is preferred for major accidents and injuries that may require that one is admitted and monitored.
There are many more reasons why most cases of accidents or injuries apart from the ones discussed above should be handled over at an emergency room and not an urgent care clinic, with more on this and other topics to be found over at the ever reliable frontlineer.com.
