Should You Visit an Urgent Care Facility? Know When it is Right

Life-threatening emergencies such as animal bites, critical head injuries, or heart attacks require a trip to the emergency room. Meanwhile, an illness or injury that is not life-threatening can be addressed at an urgent care center. This facility offers access to quality healthcare when your primary care doctor is not available. Morris Plains Live Urgent Care is committed to personalized attention to ensure that patients with urgent health needs get the best care experience.

When to Visit an Urgent Care Center?

urgent care quincy ma must be sought out if you need help within 24 hours and are not experiencing a medical emergency. Visiting the ER when not necessary can take time and resources from those who need emergency care. The following are conditions that warrant a visit to an urgent care facility:

Flu or flu-like symptoms. If you suffer from cough, cold, flu, fever, and sore throat, you should head to an urgent care facility, especially as doctors’ offices tend to be busy during cold and flu season. The facility can perform tests to identify what’s causing your symptoms and prescribe treatment.
Eye discomfort. Whether you experience eye discharge, blurred vision, redness, or itchiness, you should go to an urgent care facility. Infections to the eye, such as pink eye, are pretty contagious, so you must get early treatment.
Digestive problems. A lot of ailments can cause bloating, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Urgent care facilities can order diagnostic and laboratory tests to identify your symptoms’ cause and prescribe the necessary medication.
Sprains and strains. An urgent care facility can order diagnostics to identify the seriousness and kind of injury you are suffering. The facility’s doctor can prescribe anti-inflammatory medications or joint support.
Rashes or itchiness. An urgent care facility can prescribe fast-acting or more potent medication for relieving severe allergic reactions to pollutants, bug bites, plants, or some foods.

Reasons to Use an Urgent Care Facility

An urgent care facility offers new medical options for a lot of patients. For health concerns that are not life-threatening, it gives the following benefits:

Accessibility and convenience. A lot of urgent care facilities exist in high-traffic locations like shopping centers. They are convenient for those who need quick treatment for their conditions and issues. They offer more flexible hours than primary care clinics that let patients use their services more accessible.
Affordability. Urgent care centers provide lower rates than primary care clinics and are cheaper than using the emergency room. These facilities can help in unclogging the ER and offer cost-effective treatment relative to hospital stays and visits.
Speed and triage. On average, an urgent care facility visit can last less than one hour because it treats milder conditions than those treated in emergency rooms.

If you or your loved one needs emergency care, call 911 immediately. Do not drive yourself to the hospital if you are suffering from extreme chest pain or bleeding. If you are not sure, let a medical team come and take you to the ER. They will get you to the ER quickly and safely.