San Diego – February, 2017 – Illness or injury appears unannounced. You wake up in the middle of the night with a stomach ache or you slip and fall while carrying groceries inside your house. When such situations occur, we’re often uncertain about where to go for care, especially if the symptoms are severe. Many people seek care in an ER which is always crowded. Fortunately, urgent care has solved this problem by offering medical attention in urgent (but non-life threatening) situations. Although urgent care is available, many people do not understand the difference between urgent care and emergency care and where to seek treatment.
Difference between urgent care and the ER
Urgent care clinics help you when you are sick or injured but your regular doctor’s clinic is closed and you can’t wait for care.
If you think that your sudden illness or injury could have been addressed by your primary care doctor, then an urgent care center is more appropriate rather than rushing to the emergency room.
Hospital ERs offer medical care round the clock too. But they are equipped and staffed for even the most critical needs, including life-threatening situations, such as a heart attack or traumatic injuries suffered in a car accident.
Time for the ER
There is a difference between medical conditions that are truly emergencies because they need quick and/or advanced treatments like surgery, which can only be provided at an ER or a hospital. Here are some examples –
• Persistent chest pain that radiates to your arm or jaw
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe pain, particularly in the abdomen or starting halfway down the back
• Sudden loss of balance or fainting
• Sudden difficulty speaking, or trouble understanding speech
• Altered mental status or confusion, including suicidal thoughts
• Sudden weakness or paralysis, especially on one side of the face or body
• Severe heart palpitations
• Sudden, severe headache
• Sudden testicular pain and swelling
But many conditions can be effectively managed and treated at an urgent care center where you do not have to wait for hours for treatment. These conditions include –
• Flu
• Asthma attacks
• Broken bones
• Cuts and scrapes requiring stitches
• Chest pain
• Earaches
• Dizziness
• Bee sting reaction
• Accidents and falls
• Sprains and strains
• Neurological problems
• Back problems
• High fever
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea
• Severe sore throat
Many people use the ER as a place to get medical care after-hours or on weekends without realizing they have the option of urgent care clinics.
Urgent care centers are same-day clinics that can handle a variety of medical problems that need to be treated right away, but are not considered true emergencies. This includes conditions where you already know the diagnosis, such as repeating urinary tract infection or you require management of a chronic disease
Medical Care Prep
Whether you’re going to an urgent care clinic, it’s a good idea to bring a list of all the medications you take and the quantities I which you take them.
To know more about urgent care in San Diego, call Pacific Medical Care at 619-333-8114. Pacific Medical Care is an urgent care center in downtown San Diego healthcare center that offers a broad suite of healthcare services, with the goal in mind of providing first rate care to treat the whole patient.