Emergency Medical Care and Minor Injuries
Urgent care is the immediate medical care offered to outpatients for treating chronic and acute illness and injuries. It is given if your condition is severe and treatment is required within 24 hours, but is not an emergency like an accident or trauma.
In an urgent care unit, you will be treated by physicians, nurses, medical assistants and radiologists. You will also find that the urgent care unit may be equipped with X-ray machines, laboratory test processing instruments, and facilities to provide intravenous fluids and treatment of fractures.
How immediately will the treatment be provided?
The time of attending to you will be quicker in the urgent care unit than in the emergency unit. Your waiting time will depend on the seriousness of your condition and urgent needs of other patients. Once you arrive, your personal details, like name, contact information, date of birth and details of your general practitioner (if you have any), will be noted.
Who will provide urgent care?
A senior nurse or doctor will immediately assess you and will refer you for appropriate therapy. You may be provided with a letter about your medical condition for further assistance from your general practitioner. If urgent care is not necessary, you may be referred to your general practitioner, or if you are severely ill or the injury is more severe, you may be sent for emergency care.
Conditions requiring urgent care
Some of the conditions for which urgent care may be required include:
- Vomiting, diarrhea or dehydration
- Sprains and broken bones
- Back problems
- Breathing difficulties
- Accidents and falls
- Severe abdominal pain
- Bleeding/cuts requiring stitches
- Severe sore throat or cough
- High fever
- Mild to moderate asthma
- Animal bites
- Burns and scalds (injury with hot liquid or steam)
- Infections
Urgent care is a convenient alternative to waiting long hours to get into a hospital emergency room, and when your regular physician is not available to offer immediate treatment.
