You wake up feeling like you’ve been hit by truck and your body is wracked with that dull aching that is symptomatic of a cold or worse — the flu. Or maybe your turn up game was mad strong over the weekend but once Sunday night and early Monday morning rolled around, all you could think about was regretting taking all those extra shots of tequila. Or maybe you were just trying to hang Christmas light for the family and you took a fall for the worst, crashing down into flower garden. Or maybe you thought you’d expand your cultural boundaries and eat sushi, only to find out the unfortunate way that you have some kind of mild food allergy.
What’s a guy or gal to do? Why, go straight to an urgent care center of course!
Nowadays, many people are pleasantly surprised at the number of different ailments treated at urgent care clinics, many of which are now equipped with on site lab testing facilities, dispensaries that allow patients to leave with their prescription medication in hand, as well as x-ray capabilities in order to diagnose conditions such as pneumonia or broken bones. To say that urgent care centers are on and poppin’ is truly an understatement. They are, after all, integral parts of the American healthcare system and have filled a huge gap in patient care. But that’s not to say they’re here to replace hospital emergency departments or primary care physicians!
Knowing the Difference in Care Matters
Knowing when to go the the hospital for emergency medical treatment, when to go see your primary care doctor, and when you should go to an urgent care center can literally save your life. Hospital emergency rooms should only be reserved for true, life threatening medical emergencies. It’s understandable that this is often easier said than done to determine, but certain conditions such as sharp chest pain, difficulty breathing, lack of consciousness, sudden loss of the ability to speak, and seizure activity should always be treated as medical emergencies.
On the other hand, trips to an urgent care center should be reserved for conditions that still require immediate medical treatment but that aren’t necessarily life threatening. Examples of this may include the flu, a minor allergic reaction, persistent diarrhea or vomiting, urinary tract infections, sprains and strains, and minor cuts, burns, and scrapes. Though your primary care doctor is well equipped and knowledgeable enough to treat any and all of these ailments, their primary focus is on your long term care and well being. Typically, you should go to your primary care doctor for prescription refills, physicals, tests, and referrals to a specialist.
Knowing when to go where not only ensures you get the best and most appropriate kind of health care or medical attention for your condition, but it also helps to prevent unnecessary expenses. An emergency room visit is expensive! And knowing when and where to seek treatment also helps to keep the processes of medical facilities running smoothly.
What Urgent Care Centers Really Want You to Know
There’s a lot of confusion about urgent care center, walk in clinics, and other similar kinds of facilities, so here are some facts straight from the horse’s mouth to clear up the confusion.
You still have to see your primary care physician
Urgent care is no replacement for primary care. You still have to follow up with your primary care physician for long term treatment, prescription refills, physicals, and more.
The best time go is in the middle of the day
The busiest times for most urgent care clinics is either first thing in the morning or around dinner time in the evening. Even though most urgent care clinics have a wait of about 15 minutes or less, going at a time that’s less busy means you’ll get in and out faster.
Don’t worry about calling ahead
It never hurts to call ahead and ask if the condition in question is one that can or should be treated at an urgent care facility, but without actually seeing it, the person on the other line is likely to tell you to just come in anyway.