Somewhere between your primary care physician and the hospital lies urgent care facilities. Looking after your health and the health of your family is important, but it isn’t always convenient. Urgent care walk-in clinics can be found all over the country, and they can make getting the healthcare you need a bit more convenient when your primary care provider doesn’t have any immediate appointments available. With the majority of medical events being unforeseen and all too often untimely, you’ll be grateful to come across one of these clinics when you’re in a non-life-threatening medical pinch.
Why Choose an Urgent Care Walk-in Clinic?
The main reason people choose an urgent care walk-in clinic is scheduling. Some urgent care facilities will schedule appointments, while many of them allow for walk-in patients. This model of care can be much more accessible than having to make an appointment for an immediate need and suffering until you can see a healthcare professional. Urgent care centers like Instacare are great when you have a time-sensitive matter like a rash or an ear infection, but are not advisable for life-threatening situations like stroke, loss of consciousness, or severe injury. Here’s a look at some of the services you can expect an urgent care center to provide.
Cold and Flu
Most people can weather a cold or the flu fairly well with little to no medical intervention. If there’s a persistent high fever, diarrhea, a chronic illness, or a compromised immune system, an urgent care provider can be a big help. The medical professionals there can prescribe anti-viral medication that can support the body’s journey back to wellness.
Minor Injuries
Children are often subject to minor injuries that need immediate medical attention but not an emergency room visit. Some of the more common minor injuries people walk into an urgent care clinic for include minor burns and lacerations, sprains, small fractures, and muscle spasms. Urgent care centers are not equipped to handle severe injuries that require heavy medical equipment or surgery.
Ear Infections
Ear infections are more common in children, but people of all ages come down with them from time to time. An ear infection affects the middle ear, causing swelling and congestion in the eustacian tubes in the ear. This is often caused by cold, flu, or allergies. They can be extremely painful and may require antibiotics to cleaer up. Frequent and prolonged ear infections can damage the ears leading to temporary hearing impairment or permanent hearing loss.
Urinary Tract Infections
UTIs are common in those over the age of 65 and young children, and they’re more likely to appear in women. UTI symptoms often include a frequent urge to urinate, urgency, strong smelling urine, and pain in the lower back. These symptoms are very troubling and require antibiotics to get rid of.
While it’s never any fun needing to seek medical treatment, it’s part of maintainig a healthy lifestyle. Urgent care centers can be seen as a sort of stop gap between emergency departments and doctor’s visits. Whether you need a physical for team sports or your job, help with a minor burn, or banishishing an upset stomach, consider choosing an urgent care walk-in clinic.
