Do You Know the Location of Your Nearest Urgent Care?

 

The Urgent Care Association of America has estimated that nearly 3 million patients visit a facility each week. But what is urgent care for? Simply put, urgent care facilities are a good choice for people who have an urgent injury or illness, but not who are not experiencing an emergency. Confused? Here are a few tips to help you understand.

What Is Urgent Care For? Understanding the Levels of Ailments.

When it comes to deciding how severe an ailment is, doctors use triage. For example, an emergency situation is one in which the person is going to lose a limb, an organ, or die if they are not treated soon. An urgent situation is one in which a limb or organ will be irreparably damaged if care is not applied soon.

When Should You Go to Urgent Care?

Urgent care centers can treat a number of ailments, however they are not fully equipped to handle every physical injury or illness. The urgent care center is not like a primary care physician’s office. These centers treat issues for common problems.

An example is fractures. About four out of every five urgent care facilities are able to treat fractures, which saves many families a trip to the emergency room. Most facilities are able to supply intravenous fluids. These centers can not treat a bullet wound, but they can treat high fevers, ankle sprains, and similar common ailments that cannot wait for a doctor’s appointment in two to four weeks.

Is the Urgent Care Center Convenient? Why Many Patients Choose to Go There.

The average urgent care center fills a need in the community. Most people have some experience with waiting for an appointment with their primary care physician. Doctors are busy, and understandably so. However, an ankle sprain cannot wait for an opening in a week, it needs to be treated right away.

Many urgent care centers keep hours beyond what the average doctor’s office keeps. Many facilities will open earlier, stay open later, and open for a few hours on the weekend. What is urgent care for? For being a place to go when your primary care physician is unavailable, and the thought of sitting in the emergency room for a few hours is unbearable.

Where Is the Urgent Care Nearest to Me? Know Before You Go.

It is a good idea to research the urgent care facilities in your area. There are a few reasons for this, all of which relate to knowing what to do in a mild crisis. Firstly, if an urgent situation does come up, it is better to have a plan in place beforehand as it can be difficult to think clearly in a stressful situation.

Secondly, not every center offers the same care. If you have a fracture, you will need to go to the center that offers fracture care. It would be annoying to show up to the one center in your area that doesn’t offer the medical service you need. It is also a good idea to know where the urgent care center is located to save you some time later.

What is urgent care for? It is for the gaps in the medical system. Some illnesses are worrisome, and it is difficult to wait for a doctor’s appointment. The emergency room is notorious for having long wait times. Urgent care centers fill the gap between a mildly worrying illness, and a full-blown emergency. Research the ones nearest you. It is a good idea to be prepared.