At one point in the other during the course of your life, you will likely need quick medical attention. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have a catastrophic accident of some kind — hopefully, that will never happen. But if you experience things like high fevers or infections that just won’t go away, even if they don’t seem life-threatening you should consult a medical professional sooner rather than later. But a lot of people don’t, simply because their general practitioner requires an appointment, making immediate attention less feasible, and the emergency room is inconvenient. Visiting the emergency room often takes hours upon hours, with the wait alone taking up a lot of your day. This is especially true for those who need quick medical attention, but aren’t experiencing life-threatening symptoms. Emergency room doctors, understandably, have to prioritize patients depending on the severity of their symptoms. This is why the wait at an emergency room is often so long. For that matter, emergency room bills can run quite high. This is why lots of people now tend to favor walk in urgent care centers when in need of quick and effective medical treatment. But walk in clinics aren’t just for people with serious medical problems. You may be surprised by how many conditions can be treated at walk in urgent care centers. Below, we’ll look into a few.
1. Poison Ivy Reactions
Many people think of poison ivy reactions as minor, affecting few people severely. And it’s true that in most cases, poison ivy is more irritating than extremely harmful — but with 85% of Americans being allergic to poison ivy, a reaction is still something that needs to be treated as quickly as possible. Poison ivy is quite prolific, found in every state except for Alaska and Hawaii. Often, people find themselves with poison ivy on their hands, but it can affect virtually every part of the body. The more sensitive the area the poison ivy comes in contact with, the more severe the reaction. For example, if your eye area comes into contact with poison ivy, you need to seek medical treatment immediately. At a walk in urgent care center, you can quickly get the attention you need for poison ivy, often at a more affordable cost than what you would find at the emergency room or your regular doctor’s office.
2. The Flu
With about 5% to 20% of all Americans coming down with the flu each year, it’s clearly a problem for a lot of people. One of the reasons why the flu is such an issue is that it’s extremely contagious, and comes in multiple forms and strains. While some of the flu are more harmful than others, all can lead to more serious medical problems if left untreated. Some of the problems that can crop up if the flu remains untreated include exhaustion, dehydration, and more serious infections. At a walk in urgent care center, a patient can receive the treatment they need for the flu — including everything from prescription medication to fluids. While urgent care centers provide outpatient services, you can visit an urgent care center multiple times if necessary to get the treatment that you need. A flu requires aggressive medical treatment, and a walk in urgent care center’s convenience doesn’t make it any less capable of providing that treatment than an alternative.
3. Fractures
Fractures are more common than you might think — and the types of fractures that can occur vary. Whether you have something as minor as a hairline fracture or as severe as a compound fracture, you should seek immediate medical attention. While some attempt to treat things like fractured fingers at home, this can lead to incorrect healing and chronic problems down the road. Though extremely severe fractures may require attention at a hospital, with four out of five urgent care centers providing fracture care, you may very well be able to find the treatment you need at an urgent care center.