When To Go To Urgent Care: All You Need To Know

When illnesses and injuries appear suddenly, many people feel unsure about where to seek care. This can be especially true in situations when their regular doctor's office is closed. The emergency care unit becomes a default at this point, but there is also an option for urgent care. 

What is it, and how do you know when to go to urgent care? The Impact Family Wellness team covers a few details below to help you make an informed decision for you and your family.

What Is Urgent Care?

Urgent care centers are same-day clinics that handle numerous medical problems. Most of these situations will require immediate attention but don't qualify as real emergencies. So, it's the best choice when you need urgent treatment for a medical condition that is not life-threatening.

If you can't cope with the issue or injury until you can get an appointment with your primary care doctor, come to an urgent care facility like Impact Family Wellness. Other patients who benefit from visiting urgent care clinics are those who don't have a primary care doctor or who are looking for a no-insurance primary care provider.

However, urgent care services are not the right place to go for life-threatening situations, such as a stroke, heart attack, or traumatic brain injury. That's the main distinguishing factor between urgent care and emergency care units.

So, When Should You Go To Urgent Care?

Choosing urgent care only as you need it may help you avoid exorbitant costs at conventional emergency care units. On the other hand, you can also reduce the risk of worsening your medical condition by visiting a facility instead of waiting for an appointment. Go to urgent care for the following:

Treatment for Minor Illnesses

An allergic reaction, urinary tract infection, flu, and common cold are all minor illnesses. For example, you can seek urgent care if you have symptoms such as:

• Sinus congestion
• Burning sensation during urination
• Wax buildup or ear pain
• Mild to moderate asthma
• Mild to moderate stomach pain
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Skin infections and rashes
• Severe cough or severe sore throat
• Fever
• Headaches
• Eye irritation

Treatment for Minor Injuries

Urgent care clinics also treat minor injuries that are not life-threatening. These healthcare providers have the equipment to diagnose and treat minor injuries such as:

• Broken bones
• Fractures in toes and fingers
• Minor burns
• Lacerations
• Sprains or strains
• Pulled muscles
• Mild to moderate back pain
• Minor cuts that require stitches

Have you broken a large bone, suffered a skull fracture, or suffered injuries around sensitive organs like the eyes? Visit an emergency room.

Diagnostic Services

If you need diagnostic services but can't see your doctor within your preferred timeline, consider visiting an urgent care clinic. They have the equipment to complete the diagnostics required for travel, employment, and more. So, if you're thinking about when to go to urgent care, diagnostic testing visits are a good example, as well as tests for flu, COVID-19, mononucleosis, and strep.

An urgent care clinic will complete screening for STDs, so you don't have to wait for your regular care physician to run a test to put your mind at ease. Waiting days or weeks for a regular physician can give disease-causing bacteria or viruses more time to take root in your system. And in the event of an infection, early detection becomes key to successful treatment, so don’t wait to do the test.

Occupational Health Services

Do you need an official report to file a workers' compensation claim? There’s no reason to risk missing the deadline for filing the claim because you can’t get an appointment at your regular physician’s office. Visit an urgent care clinic.

Do you need a quick physical exam to secure employment? Walk in and complete the tests at an urgent care clinic. Businesses also work with urgent care clinics to provide education on avoiding workplace injuries for their employees.

The Advantages of Urgent Care Clinics

Below are some of the top benefits of visiting urgent care clinics.

Urgent Care Clinics Allow Virtual Appointments

Urgent care services support telemedicine. That means you can see a doctor without leaving your home, a perfect scenario if you're unsure whether your condition warrants an in-person visit. You can also use them when you feel more confident talking to a healthcare practitioner virtually first before committing to seeing them face to face.

The practitioners can talk you through your issue and symptoms before recommending a course of action. They will also confirm whether your condition warrants an in-person appointment.

Urgent Care Visits Can Be More Affordable

Visiting an urgent care clinic instead of an emergency room can save you money. Emergency rooms treat life-threatening conditions and severe injuries, which tap into the expertise of the specialists. Treating a minor illness there isn't cost-effective, even if you have insurance.

Urgent Care Clinics Are Flexible

With an urgent care clinic, you're not limited to regular work hours. You can see a doctor without taking extended time off work or putting together elaborate childcare plans to cover your absence as you wait in a queue. In many cases, you can also choose a convenient time instead of working with a hospital's schedule.

Urgent Care Visits Are Shorter

If you don't have an emergency, you may wait a long time to see doctors in emergency departments. At an urgent care center, you can usually count on leaving the clinic within an hour. A doctor, nurse, or physician assistant will attend to you to give you clarity about your medical condition or offer further guidance on what to do.

Why not take advantage of the urgent care services at Impact Family Wellness? Whether you need vitamin injections to improve your health or treatment for minor cuts and fractures, we cover it all.

Whether or not it’s time to go to urgent care, urgent care can provide you and your family with peace of mind and the right medical services. Call Impact Family Wellness at (512) 537-2177 today to book an appointment or visit our Cedar Park, TX, office. We provide Direct Primary Care services including urgent care needs and with our low fee memberships, we can provide services for those who aren’t insured or who are looking for patient centered care.