Urgent vs. Emergency Care: Know When To Go

When Should You Go To Urgent Care Vs Emergency Room


For patients seeking help or considering it, it's essential to understand the difference between urgent and emergency health care services. These two medical care services provide life-saving options for patients in accident scenarios. It's not always easy to tell which one applies to what you're experiencing.

In fact, there are differences between urgent and emergency care. Here's how urgent care compares with emergency care and when to use each type of medical care.

What Is Urgent Care?

Urgent medical care, sometimes called immediate medical care, is primarily designed to assess and manage unscheduled or unforeseen conditions. This provides care for people with pressing healthcare needs that cannot wait until primary care services are available. It requires attention but is typically not severe as to require the services of an emergency room. For easier understanding, urgent care provides for patients with severe but non-life-threatening conditions. 

These facilities provide essential medical services such as physicals, minor procedures, and lab work. Urgent care is the way to go if you have a minor illness or injury that can't wait until tomorrow.

Why Choose Urgent Care?

Longer wait times can indeed affect patient care and patients' willingness to seek healthcare services. Not only does this disrupt the continuity of treatment and care, but it also negatively impacts patient outcomes.

Urgent medical care centers are fast, convenient, and accessible. You can get treatment at an urgent care center for minor injuries or illnesses with an added personalized touch with their in-house doctors. Currently, urgent care centers are enjoying significant growth as patients seek convenient and lower-cost venues. 

Some urgent care clinic may also be able to provide advanced services like X-rays, MRIs, and blood draw. Still, it's important to note that these services are not always available at all locations. There is no standard for what constitutes urgent care, so there may be times when a visit to an emergency room makes more sense than going to an urgent care center. 

Other benefits of urgent care include: 

• Urgent care facilities have better hours than your doctor's office
• It is significantly cheaper than going to emergency medical care 
• It requires no appointments. You can walk right in. 

When to Go to an Urgent Care Facility 

Urgent medical conditions aren't emergencies but require care within 24 hours. These conditions are often described as severe but not life-threatening. 

Here are some of the conditions treated in urgent care facilities: 

• Back or muscle pain
• Bronchitis
• Cuts and minor burns
• Diarrhea
• Earache
• Skin conditions
• Sprains or joint pain
• Upper respiratory infection
• Urinary tract infections
• Vomiting

The Impact of Urgent Care on Healthcare 

The growth of urgent care centers has helped the healthcare industry fill gaps in its services and ensure patients have access to the most appropriate care. The pandemic has further heightened this need for an industry facing workforce challenges – limited capacity. Urgent care has filled this void by providing on-demand care with same-day or next-day appointments when needed. Providing patients with this care when and where they want saves not only these patients but also the healthcare system money.

What Is Emergency Care?

Urgent care is the treatment of minor health problems or injuries that can wait until you have time to visit the doctor. While urgent care usually provides only a limited range of services, emergency medical care can provide immediate attention to life-threatening conditions in patients of all ages.

When to Choose Emergency Care Over Urgent Care?

Both facilities provide short-term care that can provide immediate medical attention for minor injuries or illnesses. However, emergency care is meant for the longer-term treatment of more severe conditions like broken bones or internal injuries. At the same time, an urgent care facility focuses on less extreme conditions like cuts and scrapes. Compared to urgent care, emergency care is the best option when you require immediate medical attention for severe and life-threatening conditions. 

Emergency rooms are usually much more expensive than urgent care centers. These facilities need more staff, equipment and need to be open twenty-four hours a day. Emergency rooms must be prepared for anything from a stubbed toe to natural disasters. 

The difference between the emergency room and urgent care costs is a significant factor when choosing where to get help. 

What Is Considered an Emergency?

In general, an emergency condition can permanently impair or endanger your life. In case of any medical problem that appears life-threatening, call 911 immediately. Some examples of conditions that need emergency medical care include:

• Fractures
• Neurological disorders (seizures, convulsions, etc.) 
• Deep penetration wounds
• Heavy, uncontrollable bleeding
• Moderate to severe burns 
• Poisoning
• Serious injury to the head, neck, and back
• Severe abdominal pain 
• Severe chest pain or difficulty of breathing 
• Heart attacks 
• Stroke

Care Shouldn't Start in the Emergency Room

What was once a convenient place to get treatment for a minor illness or injury is becoming an important venue of care for many patients that is also convenient and cost-effective. When you look for "Family Practice Physician In Camarillo" or "Expert Primary Care Doctor in Torrance," this will lead you to the best clinic, 1st Stop Urgent Care.

We respond quickly to your non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses. If you have any questions, please feel free to call our office and speak with a nurse. Walk-ins are usually welcome, and appointments give us time to see you right away.