The dawn of urgent care facilities has become a boon to patients with non-life-threatening conditions. Patients don’t have to go to an emergency room when they can find alternative convenient and timely medical centers. That’s why you see the emergence of these facilities in your community.
These centers offer urgent care services that are more than just cold and flu treatment. But they offer a variety of illnesses, infections, minor injuries, pediatric care, teenage counseling, and many more.
An urgent care can take care of your newborn with immunization to common conditions children might experience throughout adulthood. Most have board-certified pediatricians and pediatric emergency care units equipped with a lab, EKG, and digital X-ray services.
Urgent Care Services
While urgent care with a pediatric unit gives parents peace of mind, it’s best to find a center providing urgent care services for adults and children. People usually have different healthcare needs, and getting this under one roof can be pretty convenient.
Some of the medical conditions urgent care provides for adults include:
- Fever
- Cold and flu
- Infections
- Cough
- Abscesses
- UTI and STDs
- Wounds requiring stitches
- Fracture management
- Respiratory care
- Dehydration (particularly vital during cold and flu season)
Urgent care also provides pediatric services for children to help them as they develop. As they grow, they may encounter challenging emotions in their physical and mental changes. However, pediatricians can detect any developmental abnormalities in children and provide them with specialized care.
Common health conditions for children treatable included in urgent care services are:
- Immunization
- Cold and flu
- Dehydration
- Animal or insect bites
- Nose bleeding
- Pink eye
- Strep throat
- Cough
- Fever
- Stuffy nose/congestion
- Rashes
- Ear aches
- Cuts
- Asthma
Benefits of Urgent Care Center
There are many good reasons urgent care has gained traction in recent days. Some of the top benefits of visiting an urgent care center include:
Comprehensive Medical Services
In addition to the many urgent care services mentioned above for children and adults, some of these centers offer other health services in ERs. These include medical imaging, diagnostic services, laceration repair, wound care, abscess incision, minor accidents, cuts, and burns.
Skilled and Experienced Medical Staff
While some people may not have the confidence of medical staff in urgent care, they might not know that they have extensive training in the medical background. Most of them even have outstanding emergency room experience, which is why they provide the same service you get in an ER at an affordable price. You’re likely to receive the same or better quality care in an urgent center than when you go to the ER.
Convenient
Urgent care centers accommodate all patients whether they have an appointment or are walk-ins. They work throughout the year, including holidays, as they understand sickness has no holiday. If your primary doctor is off for a holiday or unavailable, these facilities can be an excellent alternative for you.
They provide urgent care services to their patients on a first-come basis. So, you don’t have to wait for long, even in cases where they might take a patient requiring urgent care before you.
Longer Operating Hours
When you’re leaving your workplace and feel like seeing a doctor, the regular hospitals might not be operational unless it’s a severe medical condition requiring emergency room treatment. But you can find an urgent care facility open for you and your child’s needs. Most of them operate more extended hours, including weekends and public holidays.
In Conclusion
Find your closest urgent center that provides urgent care services for all ages – children and adult medical conditions. These will be convenient for you as they work for more extended hours. What’s even more enticing, they offer non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses at a much better rate than the amount you would pay in an ER. And they are open to addressing their patient’s needs, whether it’s a holiday or a weekend.