Whenever a person gets hurt or ill, it is important that a nearby responsible adult can find the proper medical care site where that victim may be treated. What sort of clinic is just right? For minor medical cases, a walk in clinic, or urgent care centers, is the best option. Many of these clinics can be found across the United States today. More serious medical incidents will require emergency care, and a patient may need to get 24 hour emergency care if they got hurt at an odd time of day. But what is the difference between emergency room and urgent care? It is largely based on the severity of the injury, and an emergency care patient’s life may be at risk. Meanwhile, childrens urgent care centers have pediatricians on staff who can care for babies and patients under 18 years old, since regular urgent care clinics are for adult patients. Parents can look up “24 hour childrens urgent care nearby” if their child is hurt at an odd time of day, and the pediatricians at those childrens urgent care centers will know what to do.
All About Emergency Care
As stated above, emergency care is meant for patients whose lives are in danger, and this may include 24 hour emergency clinics or a hospital’s ER. The doctors and physicians on staff will have the training and medicine needed to save a life, and a patient may be in dire condition indeed. Broken arms or legs are a common reason to get taken in to emergency care, and the same is true of head injuries or trauma to the eyeballs. Meanwhile, chest pain and difficulty breathing are also common reasons to get emergency care, and these conditions may soon turn life-threatening, if they aren’t already. A patient who recently suffered a heart attack or a stroke may also need emergency care, and the same might be true of abdominal pain. In fact, most abdominal pain cases are harmless, though if the pain is severe, sudden, and/or long lasting, it is time for emergency care. The underlying cause might be something serious, such as internal bleeding or cancer.
Emergency care shouldn’t be treated as a catch-all for medical care, though, since it is best reserved for serious cases. Urgent care can handle minor cases, but if it is not clear what level of care a victim needs, a hybrid clinic may be the right call. These flexible clinics offer urgent and emergency care side by side.
Childrens Urgent Care
Regular walk in clinics expect adult patients, so if a child is hurt or ill, parents can take their youngster to an childrens urgent care clinic instead. Trained pediatricians on staff can help, as these doctors have expertise on the anatomy and typical medical needs of children, toddlers, and babies. Youngsters often suffer from ear infections and colds, and at the clinic, a child may also get wounds treated, such as sprained joints or bone fractures. Children and babies may also get routine, safe shots and immunizations while visiting such a clinic. This is important for reinforcing their immune system for years to come.
Walk In Clinics
An adult patient with relatively minor healthcare needs may visit not an emergency care center, but an u8rgent care center. There are just over 2,000 such clinics across the United States today, and they are typically small, independent clinics staffed with nurse practitioners and physicians. A clinic that is running smoothly may see three patients per hour or so, and a guest may expect a wait time of around 15 minutes. Most of these clinics can be found either in strip malls, retailers, or a hospital.
A guest at one of these clinics may visit the pharmacy to get a prescription drug refill, or get medicinal relief from the common cold or flu during influenza season. Guests at walk in clinics may get ointment and lotion for bad cases of sunburn or skin rashes, and these patients can get stitches and bandages for shallow cuts at the hands of nurses on staff. Four in five urgent care clinics can offer bone fracture treatment, and nearly all walk in clinics offer treatment for ankle and wrist sprains, too.
