There are some health conditions, such as fractures and minor injuries, that do not need patients to visit hospital emergency rooms for medical attention. This has seen urgent care services sprouting up in many locations to make health services easily accessible and available. More than 66 percent of these services open before 9:00 during the week and about 30 to 45 perfect open weekends too. This has allowed patients to get help whenever they need it.
What Are Urgent Care Services?
Typically, these are health centers that offer care services to conditions that are not life-threatening. These types of conditions can wait until the next day. They are usually open on days and hours when primary health care physicians are closed. Some also work during the nights and holidays to ensure proper patient care. These facilities also accept walk-in patients during their normal business hours and have a licensed physician to direct the operation.
When to Use Urgent Services
It is necessary for patients to understand the type of condition they have. Typically, not all conditions can be treated at an urgent care facility. Conditions, such as poisoning, deep knife wounds, severe chest pain, serious head injury, pregnancy problems and stroke, are considered as emergency health problems that need primary care physicians to attend to the patient.
Patients can use these services when they have urgent medical conditions that are not emergencies but still require medical attention within 24 hours. Such conditions include fever, vomiting, cuts, sprains, accidents, skin rashes, eye irritation, breathing problems and minor fractures. Most also offer exam rooms for medical tests and equipment for carrying out diagnostic services to patients.
Taking Advantage of Urgent Care
About one out of every five urgency care facilities have more than 450 patients per week and this is an indication that patients are looking to urgent care for various health needs. With these services, more and more people can get help quickly since the average visit take less that an hour. Many hospital emergency rooms experience long queues and urgent facilities helps to unclog them. They are also cost effective than ERs and you can enjoy different care services.
Whether you are suffering from the flu or a broken bone, urgent care services help patients to get a doctor easily and quickly. Since their inception, these services have help to reduce the queues that doctors’ offices and emergency rooms experience. As a result, this has improved access to health care services, which ensure patients feel better quickly.