Urgent Care

Urgent Care

What is Urgent Care?

Running to a hospital for a cut on your finger or a sprained ankle sounds a bit extreme? Moreover, you may find the hospitals overburdened with critical cases, and hence, you may have to wait longer before a physician attends you. This is where an urgent care center or urgent care clinic comes into the picture.

Urgent care is a category of walk-in clinics designed to provide high-quality healthcare services to people with pressing health problems and injuries, which are not life-threatening. It has the equipment to handle injuries and medical conditions, which require prompt attention but are typically not severe enough to visit a hospital or an emergency center.

Who Qualifies for Urgent Care?

There are numerous health conditions, which do not fall into the category of emergencies. However, people with such health troubles will still need to seek urgent medical attention.

Some examples can be -

• Cuts and wounds that do not involve substantial blood loss but still require stitches
• Falls and accidents
• Diagnostic tests including laboratory tests, X-rays, and other screening tests and scans
• Flu or fever
• Difficulty in breathing like mild to moderate asthma
• Redness or irritation in the eyes
• Moderate back problems
• Severe soreness in the throat
• Cold and cough
• Minor fractures in the toes and fingers
• Skin infections and rashes
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Severe dehydration
• Urinary tract infection
• Sprains and strains
• Bug stings

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Alwarpet, Chennai

Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment.

How is a Medical Emergency Different from Urgent Care?

Generally, an emergency health condition is life-threatening or could permanently impair an organ or body part. Such health problems are different from those which fall under the category of urgent care. Emergency medical conditions may require long-term treatment and more extensive surgeries.

A few examples are -

• Compound fracture or an open fracture, which has caused a bone to protrude from the skin
• Seizures, convulsions, or loss of consciousness
• Heavy and uncontrolled bleeding
• High fever in an infant or a newborn who is less than three months old
• Knife wounds or gunshot wounds that are deep or grave
• Moderate to severe burns
• Health problems due to poisoning
• Pregnancy-related complications
• Intense pain in the abdomen
• Serious head, back, or neck injury
• Severe chest pain or difficulty breathing
• A suicide attempt
• Symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain that stays for more than two minutes
• Symptoms of a stroke, like sudden numbness, loss of vision, or slurred speech

What are the Benefits of Urgent Care?

Urgent care is something that can prevent a mild situation from turning into a severe one. There are many benefits like:

• An urgent care can be an excellent resort if your family doctor is not available.
• It is widely available, so you do not have to travel long distances.
• More affordable compared to big hospitals.
• The waiting time is shorter. So, if you have a hectic schedule, you can make a quick visit during your office hours.
• Also accessible during odd hours.
• There are highly trained doctors and nursing staff associated with such centers.
• In-house diagnostic laboratories are also there.

Are there any Complications if You Do Not Visit Urgent Care?

You can soothe the situation with first aid at home. However, treating a condition like redness in the eyes or rashes, a toe fracture, or acute dehydration may not bring the necessary relief. Further, if you wait for your family doctor, the problem can aggravate.

It causes a delay in getting the appropriate treatment, and it can worsen your condition and give rise to more complications.

Also, if you visit an urgent care center with a major emergency, it can again be potentially dangerous. An urgent care center may not have the right equipment to treat a critical health concern.