What is Urgent Care? When to Visit vs. the Emergency Room

If you are sick or injured, you want medical care quickly. Consider urgent care services if sitting in a crowded emergency room isn’t appealing. These services can treat common illnesses and injuries that are not life-threatening. The urgent care doctors at One Urgent Care in Kirkland, WA, provide comprehensive urgent care services for medical care right when needed.

How Urgent Care Can Help You

Urgent care doctors possess the same skills as emergency room doctors. That means you can have the same level of care in an urgent care clinic as in an emergency room. Urgent care services are often delivered faster and better than care in an emergency room.

So, when should you visit an urgent care clinic? You should consider going to urgent care if you have:

• A fever or the flu
• Red or irritated eyes
• Allergies or asthma
• Experienced an accident or fall
• Experienced a sports and vehicular injury
• A cut that may need stitches
• Mild to moderate breathing problems
• Mild to moderate pain
• A severe sore throat
• Coughing or wheezing
• Headaches or sinus issues
• A skin rash or infection
• Experienced a strain or sprain
• Muscle aches and pains
• A urinary tract, bladder, or kidney infection
• Vomiting or dehydration

An urgent care doctor can also provide additional services such as:

• Diagnostic testing
• Orders for lab testing and review of lab results
• Orders for imaging studies to evaluate an injury
• Prescriptions for medications to help you recover
• Referrals to visit specialists

You should visit an emergency room or call emergency services if you are experiencing potentially life-threatening conditions, including:

• A heart attack
• Stroke
• A severe allergic reaction
• Difficulty breathing
• Uncontrollable pain

Consider these important benefits of an urgent care visit. Urgent care services are often:

• Provided more quickly, with a shortened waiting time
• More cost-effective, with treatment usually costing far less than an emergency room
• More comprehensive because urgent care doctors can often devote more time to your care

Want To Know More About Urgent Care?

Talk with the experts to learn more about when to visit an urgent care doctor instead of the emergency room. Call the urgent care doctors at One Urgent Care in Kirkland, WA, at (425) 553-4540. Call today.