How To Decide If You Need Urgent Care Or An Emergency Room?
Going to an urgent care clinic is often a cost-effect way to handle health issues. However, you might not be sure whether you should visit an urgent care center or an ER. You can determine whether urgent care is appropriate or not by using the following checklist.
Severity
There are several signs that an injury isn't too severe for an urgent care clinic. If a person is bleeding but not losing lots of blood, they can probably go to an urgent care provider for a band-aid or stitches. However, if the blood is visibly pumping or pouring out a wound, that's a problem for the ER.
Other issues also may take someone to the emergency room instead. Difficulty breathing and chest pain usually call for a higher level of support. Conversely, most bruises and scrapes can go through urgent care/
Body Temperature
For an adult, a fever is usually not classified as an emergency until their temperature is above 105.8 degrees F. If they have a temperature above 100 but below 105.8, an adult can go to an urgent care clinic. Typically, fevers accompany illnesses and inflammations. A doctor at an urgent care center can normally prescribe drugs and hydration to control the fever.
Generally, you will want to be more cautious with children. Similarly, people with immune disorders may also want to be more cautious.
Burns
Most urgent care locations can treat burns. Even if a burn is extreme, there's a good chance a practitioner at a UC can assist with stabilizing the situation. If the burn is severe, though, they may need to pass you along to a hospital for further care. This is particularly true if the doctor is worried that a patient might need skin grafts or other treatments to promote healing.
Simple Illnesses
Many illnesses don't call for emergency treatment. If you feel sick to the stomach, for example, an urgent care clinic can usually help. A doctor might prescribe something to treat the symptoms if they don't believe the problem is a disease. They also could diagnose the issue as an illness and prescribe antibiotics, antivirals, or antifungals to treat the problems.
Broken Bones
A broken bone is an excellent case for urgent care. The facility will have the resources usually to perform X-rays and other diagnostics. Doctors can usually set breaks in an urgent care clinic. If the X-rays reveal a bigger problem, such as a compound fracture, they can then direct the patient to a hospital for further diagnosis and care.
Reach out to an urgent care center near you to learn more.
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