Must You Join the Urgent Care Clinic Bandwagon?
If there’s any notable change in medical care in the past few years, it’s the rising popularity of urgent care clinics. Urgent care clinics are quite popular these days because they provide convenience to patients. This is because not all cases are emergency cases that merit a visit to the ER.
With that said, you may go to urgent care clinics if you are suffering from minor conditions. Don’t get confused about the name because urgent care isn’t synonymous to emergency care. You are not supposed to go to these clinics if you’re suffering from a life-threatening condition that requires immediate emergency medical services.
Why Urgent Care Clinics Were Established?
Urgent care clinics came to be in response to the growing need for convenient and preventive health care for people. Before, patients go to hospitals when they get sick. These days, the trend is more about preventing sickness rather than waiting to become really sick. That’s the reason why these clinics were established.
People experiencing some minor symptoms such as colds, cough, and flu can go to these clinics to get treated. If they get well, then that’s great because they’re relieved of their health concern. However, if the symptoms didn’t go away after the treatment and medicines prescribed, that’s when they go to the emergency room for further treatment. If anything, urgent care clinics serve as a triage.
What to Expect
As stated earlier, these clinics are small offices and they may not have complete diagnostic equipment. If you are coming in for a symptom that needs more than just an x-ray, then these clinics may not be of big help to you. You may way to go straight to the ER to get full medical assistance.
These clinics are also very accessible. You can find them in shopping areas and you don’t really need an appointment to get in one. They are also not so expensive compared to the charges imposed by hospitals even for the simplest treatments.
Should You Get Urgent Care?
Urgent care is for families who want to be sure of every medicine they’re taking, especially the over-the-counter ones. Most of the medicines prescribed from these clinics are over-the-counter medicines. If they give you antibiotics, then you have to double check that prescription with another physician to be sure. Antibiotics are considered as prescription medicines.
Many people are now considering urgent care clinics these days because they not just only offer convenience, but they also help treat you. They can be helpful for minor conditions such as respiratory diseases, sprains, arthritis, and urinary tract infection, among others.
Is it For You?
Everybody should have access to an urgent care clinic, even if they intend to use it or not. These clinics are helpful for all those one-off consultations because they are relatively cheaper and are always available for your needs. If you want immediate assistance and your doctor isn’t around, they can be a good alternative for you. Some urgent care clinics are even available online, which is why the services of these clinics can be of huge help.