Most parents have been in this position. Their child becomes ill or is injured at a time when the pediatrician’s office is closed. In these situations, people sometimes think that their only option is the hospital emergency room and that can be stressful and take a long time. There is good news! There are now adult and pediatric urgent care centers all over the United States.Most parents have been in this position. Their child becomes ill or is injured at a time when the pediatrician’s office is closed. In these situations, people sometimes think that their only option is the hospital emergency room and that can be stressful and take a long time. There is good news! There are now adult and pediatric urgent care centers all over the United States.
If you are not sure where to go for medical treatment for your child, here are some of the problems that can be treated at the adult or pediatric urgent care center:
- Strains, sprains and breaks: These are some of the most common health problems in the United States. Every day, more than 25,000 people sprain their ankles every day. More than 90% of family urgent care centers in the United States have x-ray machines and can treat these injuries.
- Upper respiratory infections or allergies: It has been estimated that people around the United States get about one billion colds every year. Children are more prone to getting colds and the typical American child suffers from six to ten colds every year.
- Ear infections are also very common. Nearly 83% of all kids experience at least one ear infection before their third birthday. Almost 40% have three or more ear infections during their first three years. All of these problems can be treated at a pediatric urgent care center.
- Cuts and scrapes: The more active your child is, the more likely they will experience these growing up. Not all have to get any kind of medical treatment but if you are concerned, you can care for these problems at pediatric urgent care clinics.
There are times when you really do need to go to an emergency room. Anytime you or your child is suffering from a problem that may result in an admission to the hospital, you should be evaluated in the emergency room. Severe stomach pain, high fevers and any serious head injury should be checked out in the emergency room. If you go to a pediatric urgent care center and the problem is one that needs care in a hospital, they will refer you to one.andnbsp;
Reasons adult and pediatric urgent care centers may be better for your health care needs:
- The care is less expensive. More and more insurance companies are seeing this and encouraging their customers to go to walk-in clinics rather than local hospitals.
- Before you head out to one, you should call your insurance carrier and ask if they cover that and where to find one. If you are looking, for example, for “urgent care Bakersfield,” your health insurance company can get you to the right place.
They take less time. The vast majority of adult and pediatric urgent care centers have their patients in and out in less than an hour. Most of the time, patients are seen within 15 minutes of their arrival. That makes it easier and less stressful to go there than to the emergency room. - It is more convenient. You can make an appointment but you do not have to. This means that you can get in and out and get the care your child needs when they need it. If they are hurt and you cannot get them in to see their pediatrician, they can get the help they need at an urgent care center.
According to the Urgent Care Association of America, every week, more than three million Americans get care at adult and pediatric urgent care centers. This is a great thing because it can alleviate the pressure on emergency rooms. In fact, it has been estimated that between 44% and 65% of visits to emergency rooms are not real emergencies. These people could get the same care in other places.
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