There are many instances that you have come across the term urgent care clinic but probably don’t know what kind of medical emergencies urgent care clinics deal with. It is important that you understand what an emergency care clinic is all about and when to seek medical services from these facilities. Prior knowledge regarding when to seek help from an urgent care clinic can shape your opinion and decision about urgent care centers. The problem is that there is a lot of misinformation out there that sometimes tend to influence how fast an individual is attended to in emergency cases. Once you are able to differentiate when to seek assistance from a walk in clinic and when to visit an emergency room, you can avoid medical complications that could sometimes lead to fatalities. So what exactly should you know before choosing an urgent care clinic?
Check Online if You Can
The whole ideology behind an urgent care clinic is that you are not required to have a prior appointment before you can be attended to. Since no prior appointment is required before you can access medical services, your wait-time is only dependable on the number of people at the urgent care center. It might take you just a few minutes to see the physician, an hour and sometimes even longer. However, it is important to understand that some urgent care clinics do require appointments. This is important for busy clinics that need to know the number of patients to expect at a given time. It doesn’t hurt if you can call in advance before making your visit to the urgent care clinic for assistance. Such a move will significantly reduce your wait-time as you are able to schedule an appointment during times when fewer patients are on queue. If an urgent care clinic doesn’t require appointments, go online and check in. What happens is that most websites associated with urgent care clinics have a page where you can enter your personal details and the clinic can thereafter prepare for your arrival. Ideally, doing this reserves you a spot on the queue.
Know What Medical Emergencies Urgent Care Clinics Deal With
It is important to understand that urgent care clinics are very limited in the type of medical emergencies they handle. This means that not all illnesses and medical emergencies can be attended to in an urgent care clinic. For instance, urgent care centers deal with common medical complications such as burns, colds, bug stings, urinary tract infections, allergic reactions and strep throat. There are some urgent care facilities that handle lacerations and fractures. Major medical emergencies however will require that you visit the emergency room. Some of the situations that necessitate visiting a hospital emergency room include; severe headaches, sever vomiting, excessive bleeding, chest pains and breathing difficulties. Visiting an emergency care clinic with a complex medical emergency is potentially dangerous as these clinics lack the equipment and the technical know-how to attend to some of these emergencies. You will have to be sent to an emergency room which will take more time and probably worsen the situation of the patient.
Find the Right Center For Your Needs
Don’t wait until you have a medical emergency after which you start looking for an urgent care clinic. Try and choose a clinic-even without necessarily feeling ill, that suits your specific needs. For example, a good urgent care center should accept your health insurance plan. This means that you will not bear the cost of frequent medical emergencies. You also need to select a clinic that specializes with your specific kind of needs. For instance, if you need a clinic for your children, choosing one that specializes in pediatric care is an excellent choice. There are also clinics that specialize in women’s health. Apart from specialization, ease of access to the clinic is paramount. Just as the name suggests, urgent care clinics attend to certain medical emergencies that do not require a visit to the ER. Make sure that your clinic of choice is easily accessible. It makes no sense travelling for long distances to seek medical assistance for emergencies that can be treated within your locality.
