In many situations the need for urgent medical treatment is necessary but not necessarily the full services of a hospital ER. For people in this situation they are trapped between a rock and a hard place. They do not want to pay the high premium for a hospital, but they do not have the luxury of waiting to get an appointment with their general practitioner. Fortunately, there is a solution for these people in the development of emergency care clinics that offer healthcare in situations where they need to see a doctor immediately but are not in mortal danger.
There are many conditions that are easily treated by an emergency care clinic. When a person is in danger of dying, for instance during a heart attack or stroke, it is necessary to get them to a hospital as soon as possible. However, there are many things that need to be treated right away but which do not need the resources provided by a hospital. For example a person needs to have a broken arm set the same day but does not necessarily need a full medical staff to do it. For those who are tired of paying for the cost of all these unnecessary resources there is an alternative in the form of fast and advanced treatment from a clinic.
At most emergency care facilities they can deal with problem of all sorts. They have the resources to deal with asthma attacks, colds, flus, and infections. They can prescribe medication and run diagnostic tests. They can also deal with moderately severe injuries. They can x-ray and set broken bones. They have the resources to provide sutures and stitches and can treat burns. In short they are able to deal with any sort of problem that requires immediate help but is likely not at risk of killing anyone.
When using an emergency care clinic there is no sacrifice in the quality of the health professionals. Many of these facilities offer full time doctors on staff to treat patients. Even those that do not have a physician always on staff have licensed and qualified nurse practitioners that can offer their patients a similarly high level of quality treatment.
While there are many conditions that are appropriate for an emergency care clinic, there are some situations where a person needs to get to a hospital fast. These include chest pain, seizures, difficulty breathing, cuts that won't stop bleeding, exposed bones, vomiting or coughing up blood, and severe abdominal pain. All of these symptoms could be signs of life threatening problems and may require urgent surgery.
