When you need medical help, it can sometimes be difficult to decide where to go, depending on your situation. There are several factors that can come into play, from your type of insurance, to the hours at your regular doctor office, to the type of injury or illness you or your family member is facing. Whatever the case may be, you should have proper access to quality health care. It is a good idea to educate yourself on the locations of various medical offices, hospitals, and urgent care clinics in your area, in order to be prepared for any unexpected health situation.
Finding the nearest urgent care clinic for your health needs
You may have a primary physician who you know, trust, and love to visit. But life does not always abide by office hours, or perhaps your local urgent care facility is a bit closer than your doctor’s office or emergency room in the event of the need for immediate assistance. The fact is, it can be very beneficial for you to find out where the closest urgent care to your home is, if only to have all of your bases covered.
One estimate puts about 3 million patients in urgent care clinics every week. Common issues that drive people to seek help at a medical walk in clinic include upper respiratory conditions and wound repair, but doctors and staff at urgent care facilities see a wide range of issues. Knowing that there is a safe place you can go to for help when you need it most provides quite a bit of peace of mind.
Knowing when to go to urgent care
As there are so many contributing factors to the health issues and situations that might lead to you ending up in an urgent care facility, it is understandable that sometimes it might be confusing as to when might be the right time to head in. The health care industry has evolved over the years, and while it is generally not standard practice for the majority of doctors to make house calls, which is incredibly convenient for the patient, there are in general, many more options for patients these days. But how do you know which service to take advantage of?
If you have a minor injury or an illness that does not seem particularly detrimental to your health, going to your regular doctor is probably sufficient. If your life is immediately in danger, getting to the emergency room right away is necessary. Urgent care offices fit somewhere in the middle with a bit of overlap in either direction. Many urgent care centers can take care of a broken bone, and some people go to a facility for a bad cold. There is such a wide range of conditions that can be taken care of, so knowing where the closest clinic is can be helpful in just about any case.
There are 20,000 doctors practicing urgent care medicine now, and that number is growing as urgent care centers become a more prevalent element of the health care scene.
