Tips For Going To Urgent Care: What You Should Do
When you experience an injury or get sick when and need medical care when your doctor's office is closed, you generally only have a few options available to you. Those are urgent care and emergency room care. Because going to the emergency room can be quite expensive and can take a great deal of time, you may be more inclined to choose urgent care when you need to see a doctor after-hours. Get to know some tips to make your urgent care experience as positive and helpful to you as possible so that you can get the medical care you need and feel better as soon as possible.
Call Ahead
Most people go to an urgent care center without calling ahead as a walk-in patient. While this is allowed and perfectly fine, it can lead to long wait times in an uncomfortable waiting room full of other people who are sick or injured. So, if you know that you need to go to an urgent care center, give them a call first.
Find out how busy they are so that if they are packed, you may be able to go to another urgent care center or wait for a while at home before you head over. Additionally, some urgent care center will allow you to put your name on the waiting list for an appointment when you call ahead. That way, when you get there, you are already on the list and have a place in line. This can streamline the process and cut down on your time in the waiting room.
Check Their Website Ahead Of Time As Well
Sometimes, when you go to the urgent care center's website, you can further improve the experience for yourself. Urgent care centers often have their patient forms and paperwork available online that you can print off and fill out before you head over there.
This will get you into a room and see a doctor faster because the nurses at the front desk can begin processing your paperwork right away. You may also be able to get put on the waiting list and get an alert when there is a certain amount of time before a doctor will be able to see you.
Know What Urgent Care Clinics Can Handle
Urgent care clinics are able to handle quick lab tests and general illnesses as well as minor injuries. However, if you have a deep or large wound or burn, or are severely ill, they may not be able to handle your condition in one quick visit.
For instance, if you are experiencing chest pain, an urgent care clinic will not be equipped to help you if you turn out to be having a heart attack. They do not have EKG devices or any surgical capabilities. Similarly, some urgent care clinics are also unable to take x-rays or other diagnostic scans to look for broken bones from an injury. These are situations in which a visit to the emergency room is more helpful than an urgent care clinic.
Now that you know more about going to urgent care, you can get the help you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. For more information, contact a place like West Ocean City Injury & Illness Center.
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