In the United States, for the most part, individuals attempt to remain healthy. They take actions to keep them healthy all year round; however, this doesn’t always work as planned, as is life. While the winter months see an influx in colds and flus, which human beings aren’t immune to. And, the spring and summer months seen an influx in allergies, with annoying sneezes and congestion. Many human beings aren’t immune to this and are affected the minute they make contact with outside. However, these ailments can be healed easily.
Needless to say, some individuals try to remain healthy but are affected by illnesses and injuries that fall under the realm of acute care. If you need acute care, here is what you should know about an urgent care center.
Acute Care: An Urgent Care Clinic
To begin, there are common misconceptions about acute care. In fact, many individuals have difficulty defining and classifying acute care. Acute care can include, but is not limited to, anything from minor to major injuries, bronchitis, asthma, upper respiratory infections, and acute sinusitis- just to name a few. If you feel that you may have any of these ailments it is wise to go to an urgent care clinic.
Urgent Care Center
There are reasons why urgent care clinics should be utilized by Americans who fall ill or injured. Firstly, many of these centers are considered a walk in clinic. There were around 8,100 urgent care clinics in years prior, and the number is expected to increase steadily. Out of all urgent care centers, 92% of them reported a wait time of thirty minutes or less; which can be quite faster than seeing a primary physician. Additionally, an urgent care center is typically open seven days a week for 24 hours. This is much different than a primary physician; which is not available on the weekends and there is a time that it closes. Therefore, if you need emergency services and your primary care doctor is not available, you can certainly head to an urgent care center.
What Urgent Care Helps You With
It is important to note that an urgent care center does not see individuals for check-ups or physicals that they would get at a primary care doctor. Therefore, you need to be suffering from a ailment that requires acute care. Any form of a wellness check needs to be handled by a primary care doctor. Here is what an urgent care center helps you with:
Minor And Major Injuries: Many individuals will experience a minor or major injury at least once in their lifetime. For those who play sports, injuries can occur more often. These minor or major injuries include, but are not limited to, lacerations, cuts and abrasions, removal of foreign objects, infected wounds, and minor burns. An urgent care center can mend any of these minor injuries for you. They do so in a timely manner as well. So, you will not have to worry about spending your entire day seeing a physician.
In terms of major injuries, or possible major injuries, urgent care treats: breaks and fractures, sprains and strains, and needed x-rays.
It is important to note that urgent care center physicians have all the qualifications to assist patients. For minor and major injuries they may recommend over the counter pain medication, provide you with crutches, and provide you with slings or casts.
Bronchitis And Asthma: An urgent care center will help you with your bronchitis and asthma symptoms. For bronchitis, a physician will recommend heavy duty cough medication, cough pills to suppress cough, and breathing treatments if you have difficulty breathing. If you suffer from asthma, a physician can recommend an inhaler and breathing treatments.
Upper Respiratory Infections: An upper respiratory infection includes colds, Sinusitis, Laryngitis, and the Flu – just to name a few. An urgent care center will help you become heathy once more; and battle those frustrating symptoms. A physician will recommend drinking plenty of fluids, getting plenty of rest, and telling you which over the counter medications you should purchase. If you do this, you’ll feel better within a week or so!
