Injury Treatment: Urgent Care Clinic or Emergency Room?

by | Oct 1, 2015 | Health Care

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When someone needs Injury Treatment and it’s not a life-threatening situation, going to a walk-in clinic to see a primary physician typically is the best idea. People who to an emergency room with an injury that needs attention but isn’t extremely serious are shuffled to the back of the waiting line until the doctors have the chance to see them. Faster service is usually available at a walk-in facility that provides urgent care assistance.

Even some relatively severe injuries can be treated at an urgent care clinic. For example, when someone hits his or her head and shows signs of a concussion, urgent care doctors can diagnose the extent of the problem and provide quality Injury Treatment. If the symptoms are progressing and indicate a serious concussion, these doctors can tell patients whether heading to the emergency room is advisable. Generally, some of the more serious concussion symptoms include a progressively worsening headache, continued confusion, a seizure, fainting and continued vomiting. A patient who develops these symptoms before arriving at a healthcare facility should be brought to an emergency department and bypass the walk-in clinic option.

A facility such as Allegheny Medical Integrated Health Services also can treat a broad range of other injuries that benefit from fast attention but are not considered a true emergency. A second-degree burn on a small area of the skin, for instance, can be treated at a walk-in clinic. A child who suffers a puncture wound from stepping on a nail can receive wound therapy and a tetanus shot if a booster is advisable. If someone develops a sore throat and a fever, practitioners at an urgent care clinic perform a rapid strep test and determine whether a round of antibiotics is called for. Patients can pick up their prescription right there at the clinic.

Many injuries that occur in the workplace and in car accidents, such as sprains and relatively minor fractures, also can be handled at an urgent care clinic. People must use their common sense in regard to which injuries constitute emergency situations and which can be managed at a more general health care facility. You can also like them on Facebook for more information.