Why Medical Clinics are Preferable to Emergency Rooms
If you have ever had to question the need to rush to the ER for something like the cold, flu, a cut or scrape, stomach pain, sore throats, or sprained ankle, there may be a better option to consider. There is likely a local medical clinic able to handle some of these non-life-threatening issues. These may be anything from the urgent care clinic to the walk in clinic, that all are open 24/7 to provide quality medical care.
Reasons You Would Visit the Emergency Room
There are any of a number of reasons that we all visit the ER, most of which involve a severe wound, bleeding or excessive pain. It is important to remember that the emergency room staff are going to place the harshest patient cases at the front of the line. While we all believe that our emergencies deserve immediate care, most often the ER is overcrowded and without enough staff to handle the number of patients in waiting along with the amount of care it takes to bring the life-threatening cases into stable condition.
When to Visit the Medical Clinic
It is important to remember that problems like severe colds, the flu, and other infections can become more severe and long-term if they do not receive some sort of attention immediately upon noticing the symptoms. This is always the best time to visit urgent care. Plenty of doctors and nurses are available to provide quality medical attention day and night. If further treatment is needed, or a prescription, those referrals can be given right away without waiting in the emergency room for several hours.
Therefore, without reason to blow off the emergency room completely, there is always the ability to make your choice between one and the other. A number of possibilities exist when immediate medical care is needed at an odd hour, and no matter the issue there is care available. From flu treatment to headaches, insomnia, indigestion and more, there is no reason to ever sit at home suffering over seeking out the care of a medical clinic. Especially with visit times averaging about a half hour and about 97% of urgent care patients being treated on site, there is always the ability to trust your decision to visit urgent care.