All About: What is Urgent Care

Urgent Care often causes confusion, which is why Novamed Urgent Care in Illinois explained this to us in detail. Urgent care is a sub-branch of emergency care. It is a health service model designed to reduce the intensity of emergency services and shorten patient waiting times. Urgent care centres provide fast and effective medical care to individuals with sudden health problems. Urgent care centres usually provide services for unplanned health problems and do not require an appointment. They usually serve at certain times every day of the week, in some centres they may be open 24 hours. Urgent care centres handle emergencies at a lower level than emergency services.

Urgent care centres deal with conditions that require immediate medical attention but are not life threatening, such as minor injuries, fractures, cuts, burns, flu or cold symptoms, urinary tract infections, mild asthma attacks, moderate allergic reactions, minor injuries and similar conditions. In Urgent care centres, medical staff usually consists of emergency medicine doctors, nurses and medical technicians. These centres have basic diagnostic facilities such as laboratory tests, x-rays and other medical imaging techniques. Patients, their emergencies are evaluated, diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment methods are applied. After the management of emergencies is complete, patients are usually discharged or referred to another healthcare unit as needed.

Urgent care centres have become a preferred option because they can provide a faster medical service and lower cost than emergency services. However, in the case of life-threatening situations or serious injuries, emergency services may be a more viable option. Both types of services play an important role in providing prompt medical attention and treatment for emergencies.

Why go to Urgent Care?

Situations where you should contact Urgent care centres may include:

Minor injuries: Minor injuries such as minor cuts, burns, minor fractures, sprains or bruises.
Respiratory tract infections: Cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, respiratory tract infections such as sinusitis or bronchitis.
Urinary tract infections: Signs of urinary tract infection such as frequent urination, pain or burning when urinating, blood in the urine, or a foul odour.
Allergic reactions: Symptoms such as itching, redness or swelling caused by mild or moderate allergic reactions, insect bites, or contact with a substance that causes an allergic reaction.
Migraine or severe headache: Severe headaches, migraine attacks, or intense headache for another reason.
Mild asthma attacks: Conditions where asthma symptoms are mild or moderate.
Skin infections: Superficial skin infections, abscesses, skin irritation or skin burns.
Sudden onset stomach problems: Sudden onset of stomach problems such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea.
Urinary stone pain: Severe pain due to stone in the kidney or urinary tract.
Other mild emergencies: These include minor sports injuries, nosebleeds, mild allergic reactions, and the like.

Going to Urgent care centres can help you get medical attention faster by reducing the intensity of emergency services and shortening waiting times. However, in the case of life-threatening situations or serious injuries, emergency services may be a more viable option.

What services are available at Urgent Care?

Urgent Care centres are healthcare facilities that provide prompt and effective healthcare for mild or moderate medical emergencies.

Urgent Care in Illinois or urgent care elsewhere may be different. The reason for this is related to the team of the center. However, we have compiled the services offered in general as follows:

Emergency Care: Provides services to evaluate and treat emergency medical conditions. For example, conditions such as fractures, sprains, minor cuts or burns, respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections fall within the scope of emergency care.
Laboratory Tests: Basic laboratory tests such as blood tests, urine tests, cultures can be done in emergency care centres. These tests are used to support the diagnosis and treatment process.
X-Ray: X-rays may be required in the diagnosis of conditions such as fractures, dislocations, and lung infections. Many Urgent Care centres offer X-ray services in illinois.
Wound Care: Simple wound care services such as cleaning, suturing or bandaging wounds such as cuts, tears or skin infections are offered.
Respiratory Medications: Respiratory medications can be prescribed for conditions such as respiratory tract infections and asthma, and the administration and management of these medications can be provided.
Vaccines: Many Urgent Care centres also offer some vaccines, such as routine immunizations (flu shot, tetanus shot, pneumonia shot, etc.) and travel vaccines.
Medication Prescription: Medication can be prescribed in an emergency or for the management of an existing condition. However, it is often better to contact your primary health care provider for such conditions, rather than to prescribe regular medication for severe chronic conditions.
Medical Counselling: Urgent Care centres provide counselling and guidance on minor health issues. They can assess the severity of a particular condition and refer the patient to an appropriate specialist as needed.

The range of services of Urgent Care centres may vary for each centre and country. Therefore, you can contact the business directly to learn about the services offered by a specific Urgent Care centre in your area.

6 Things You Should Know About Urgent Care Before You Go

Before going to Urgent Care centres, there are some details and some items that should be known. Knowing these items will help you about Urgent Care centres. That is why it is important to know the following six things before going to Urgent Care centres:

Do Not Confuse With Emergencies: Urgent Care centres are suitable for non-life-threatening medical emergencies. However, life-threatening conditions (such as heart attack, severe trauma, severe shortness of breath) should be treated in emergency rooms. If you think you are dealing with an emergency, it is important to contact an emergency room immediately.
Hours of Operation: Urgent Care centres usually have extended working hours, including weekdays and weekends. However, each centre may have different opening hours. It is important to check the centre’s opening hours in advance to meet your immediate needs.
Insurance Coverage: It is important to find out if your insurance plan covers Urgent Care services. Some insurance plans may cover visits to centres within a particular network. By checking your insurance coverage, you can assess potential costs upfront.
Waiting Time: You can wait at Urgent Care centres depending on the density. While there are shorter waiting times than emergency services for non-emergency situations, there may be waiting times in some cases. Before going in a non-emergency situation, it is a good idea to check the centre’s congestion and waiting times.

Take Your Health Records With You: It is important to take your previous health records, a list of your current medications, and allergies with you. This helps your healthcare provider provide you with a better service.

Alternatives: There are other alternatives besides Urgent Care centres for your non-urgent health problems. You can contact your primary health care provider (usually a family doctor or family health centre) or use telehealth services. It is important to choose the right health service for your health needs other than emergencies.

Remember, for emergencies, you may need to call 112 or emergency services immediately. The above are important points to consider before going to Urgent Care centre for non-emergency situations.