We all want to access healthcare conveniently if we can. Sometimes quick response in medical health can be a matter of life and death. Fortunately, advanced medical technologies have made it easier to access quality healthcare quickly. This is done by locating healthcare facilities near to people to easily receive treatment or through healthcare software. Since scheduling an appointment with a doctor is quite hard, many people resort to going to emergency rooms or urgent care clinics. But what are urgent care services, and how can you access them?
In this post, we are looking at urgent care clinics and their services to patients. Read on to learn what you need to know before seeking medical or health care services from urgent care clinics.
What are urgent care services, and how do you access them?
Urgent healthcare clinics provide urgent care services to patients who require time-sensitive medical or health care needs such as diagnosis and treatment. These healthcare facilities need the rise since they offer convenient health care services. However, before seeking health care services from urgent care clinics, here are several things you need to know:
Urgent care clinics and retail clinics are not the same
The difference between urgent care clinics and retail care clinics is where they are located. Being a walk-in clinic, retail clinics are often found in supermarkets, stores, and pharmacies. They also offer preventative care services. The kind of health issues that clinicians deal with at retail clinics is not minor and not complicated.
Urgent care clinics, on the other hand, are also walk-in clinics. However, what differentiates them from retail clinics is that they usually treat patients suffering from illness and injuries that require immediate care. They don’t usually open 24 hours a day but their working hours are longer. Time-sensitive illnesses and injuries don’t necessarily have to be complicated to warrant emergency room visits. Therefore, if the sickness or injury is not that severe, you don’t need to go to an emergency room.
Urgent services reduce unwarranted visits to the ER
Sometimes it is difficult to schedule an appointment with your primary physician. Many patients cannot seek medical services from emergency rooms when this happens. However, with the availability of urgent care clinics, patients don’t need to resort to visiting emergency rooms, especially if the injury or illness is not life-threatening. Visiting emergency rooms should only be reserved for medical complications that are severe or life-threatening. Nowadays, most urgent care clinics offer x-ray imaging and flu treatment.
Doctors from urgent care clinics can prescribe most medications, but not all kinds
Many urgent care clinics have pharmacies that offer different kinds of medication. This means that doctors can offer prescription medications but not all kinds of medications. Some of the medicines that doctors can subscribe to include stomach medicines, antibiotics, allergy medications, asthma medication, short-term pain relievers, and antiviral medications.
Doctors from urgent care clinics can’t prescribe medication that requires follow-ups and monitoring. Urgent care doctors are also not allowed to prescribe narcotics, refills, long-term pain killers, and anti-anxiety medications.
Millennials prefer urgent care over primary care
The convenience that urgent care clinics offer makes them prefer urgent care services over health care services from primary care. People aged 18 to 34 years and those between the ages of 35 – 44 depend on urgent care clinics rather than primary care. People aged 45 years and above prefer seeking medical care services from primary care.
Conclusion
Urgent care clinics are walk-in clinics that provide care services to patients who require immediate medical attention. It may be treatment, preventive, or diagnostic health care services. Urgent care services are recommended for minor injuries or sicknesses such as flu or common cold. If you have suffered an injury or sickness that is not severe enough, you don’t need to visit an emergency room because they are quite expensive.
