Urgent Care Centers are a great addition to the health sector. Several years back, if one happened to sprained their ankle or had a minor injury, the only options they had were to either calling their primary physicians and book their time on their schedule or visit the Emergency Room Near you. It was quite frustrating given that the ERs are always crowded and getting your physician to slot you into their schedule could be quite a task. Luckily, a new alternative came to be – Urgent Care Centers.
The popularity of Urgent Care Clinics has grown since they were established. There are more than nine thousand Urgent Care Clinics in the United States, and the number is still growing. People are embracing the concept quite well and loving it too given that these facilities offer faster services, they take insurance, are much cheaper as compared to Emergency Rooms and the fact that you do not need to book your appointment before you are treated.
Emergencies can cause one to take the wrong option due to panicking. The number of Urgent Care Centers is relatively large and still growing, a good amount of people always opt to go to the ER for treatment even when they should have gone to an Urgent Care Center. It is essential to know when to visit an Urgent Care Center and when to take another option. Fronliline ER provides a guide to help you know when you should visit and Urgent Care Center.
Urgent Care Centers are meant for treatments that are not life-threatening. Going to such facilities as opposed to Emergency Rooms allows the staff in the ERs to focus on people who have severe medical conditions that require significant attention while at the same time save you a great deal of time. Here are some of the medical complications that can be quickly and efficiently handled by an Urgent Care Center.
Sprain and Strains
If sprain your ankle or join doing an activity or just due to an accident, an Urgent Care Center can effectively treat you. Injuries and strains are not usually life-threatening and they, also, often do not lead to a person losing their limb. All one needs is a little treatment and something to take away the pain.
Fractured Bones
In as much as broken bones have to be handled extremely carefully, some cases or fractured bones can be easily treated at an Urgent Care Center instead of an ER. In fact, the situation is more severe than it was thought to be, the doctors can refer you to an ER for further treatment.
Wound Infections
A wound infection does not warrant a visit to the ER. The same can be addressed sufficiently at an Urgent Care Clinic.
Minor burns and skin infections
If you have a skin infection that is not that big and has not spread, it is best to have the same addressed at an Urgent Care Center. Skin infections often just require some antibiotics to treat unless they are symptoms of other existing and developing medical conditions.
The same applies to burns. If you have minor injuries that only cover a small part of your body, a trip to an Urgent Care Center is more appropriate and not to an ER. But if the burns are quite severe, then you can consider going to the ER.
Animal and Insect Bites
If you happen to encounter an animal that ends up biting you or if it is an insect that has bitten you and the effects of the bite like swelling and allergies or even continuous bleeding are catching up with you, visit an Urgent Care Center to have the same treated.
Minor head, chest, shoulder and back injuries
There is no need to visit an ER if the injury on your head, chest, back or your shoulder is not that serious. Unless you have been stricken or you have a broken a bone, an Urgent Care Center is the most effective option to choose to have the injuries addressed.
Fever and Coughs
If you are battling with a nasty cough or you have an illness that seems not to go away, that is an indicator that you should proceed to an Urgent Care Center. They are, also, the place to go for your flu shots if you require any.
Most people when they experience any medical condition that requires medical attention always consider Emergency Rooms as their first option. They always end up waiting for hours for them to be treated and, also, end up spending more money than they would have at an Urgent Care Clinic. It is, therefore, advisable that before you take action about your medical condition, hold back and evaluate the situation. If you know it is not that serious, then proceed to an Urgent Care Center instead.
You should, however, not substitute your primary care physicians with the Urgent Care Centers. Always contact your primary care physician to guide you on the way forward.
