Urgent Treatments

It could be difficult to determine whether an injury requires an emergency room visit or if going to an urgent care center is sufficient. Life threatening injuries or emergencies, such as a heart attack, or a serious head injury requires emergency room treatment (ER). On the other hand, an injury that does not appear life threatening but needs to be looked at immediately, within 24 hours, is taken to an urgent care. Examples of medical conditions that are suitable for a visit to Westminster urgent care include accidents and falls, cuts that need stitches, mild breathing difficulties, minor broken bones or limbs, and diagnostic services like X-rays, among others. Urgent care centers provide quality treatment at times when an individual’s primary healthcare option is not available. In many urgent care centers, it’s sometimes difficult to secure an immediate appointment with a doctor, as they are usually very busy. Here are some guidelines that a patient can follow to get hold of a doctor quickly.

The Personal Doctor

Before considering an urgent care center, a patient should first call their personal physician’s offices to confirm their availability. It’s always best that a patient is seen by their personal doctor first, as they have one’s medical history, and provide a sense of familiarity and ease to the patient. It’s possible that the doctor had reserved a “walk-in” slot for anyone to be seen. If the doctor’s schedule cannot accommodate the patient, then they may consider an urgent care center to get help. It is also important to remain courteous when speaking to the scheduler at the doctor’s office, as threatening them may make them reluctant to help. Provide a short but detailed description of the symptoms to help the scheduler assess the severity of the situation and get a hold of the doctor faster. It also gives the doctor something to work with before the patient arrives.

Urgent Care Center

If the personal doctor is unavailable, the patient should immediately locate the nearest urgent care clinic. Nowadays, urgent care facilities are available in many places to help patients who cannot get in touch with their doctors or other medical professionals fast enough. The facilities are set up to help a person receive immediate care without waiting for long periods and without an appointment. Unlike a personal physician, urgent care centers do not require patients to call beforehand as they are walk-in facilities. The patient will be triaged, depending on the needs and seriousness of illness, and those with the most severe or communicable diseases will be seen first. They can be easily found on the internet. However, urgent care facilities are not open at all times, thus one should always have another option in mind. They also cost significantly less than emergency room treatment. Some accept insurance which is also a plus.

The Appointment

Once in, the patient should ensure that they use detailed and descriptive language to explain the symptoms of the illness to the doctor. Specific words help the physician diagnose and come up with a proper treatment. When describing how they feel, using adjectives can help a doctor understand the issue well. For instance, when describing pain, one can use adjectives such as dull, throbbing, sharp, intense, and piercing among others. Additionally, the patient should be open to the doctor, not feeling embarrassed to tell him or her everything. Hiding information might make it hard for the doctor to properly diagnose the symptoms.