What do you do if you or your loved one have a medical emergency in the middle of the night or over the weekend and cannot get to your doctor any time soon? If you cut your finger and need stitches, or if your child has a case of the fever outside of your doctor’s normal working hours, consider visiting urgent care to get the care and attention you need. If you are not familiar with this type of facility, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the urgent care clinic in Middlesex County NJ?
What is an urgent care clinic?
An urgent care clinic is a medical facility that offers patients immediate treatment for various injuries provided by a licensed physician with no appointment necessary. This type of clinic facilitates the treatment of patients that have injuries that do not require emergency room care, but that also cannot wait until the next day to visit their doctor’s office.
What problems require a visit to urgent care?
Unlike a hospital emergency room that focuses on treating patients with life threatening conditions and injuries such as a heart attack or significant head injury, an urgent care clinic focuses on treating non-life-threatening injuries such as sprains, mild asthma, fever, dehydration and sore throat. To fall into the urgent care category, the illness or injury should be bad enough to require the patient to see a physician within 24 hours. Urgent care clinics also offer emergency diagnostic services such as x-rays and laboratory tests without having to wait and visit your doctor first.
Is an urgent care clinic appropriate for treating all emergencies?
While urgent care is an effective and convenient option for certain emergencies, it is not appropriate for treating every emergency. For serious and life-threatening emergencies such as severe chest pains, seizures, compound fractures, uncontrollable bleeding, pregnancy-related issues, stroke or heart attack, the patient should go straight to the closest hospital emergency room for the greatest chance for treatment success. As a guideline, if the illness or injury requires dialing 911, take the patient to a hospital emergency room as quickly as possible.
These are some of the most frequently asked questions about the urgent care clinic in Middlesex County NJ. If you need the services of an urgent care clinic, visit My Instadoc Urgent Care of Monroe today for quality treatment and attention.