A trip to urgent care helped the Phillips family find a primary care physician

Urgent Care Centers

When should I go to the emergency room?

Urgent care is not a substitute for emergency care. Often your primary care physician can offer guidance, and when necessary, direct you to the appropriate care facility. If you are unable to reach your primary care physician or you do not have one, you should go to the hospital’s emergency department for very serious or life-threatening problems. Even illnesses or injuries that may seem minor may be determined by the urgent care physician to warrant emergency evaluation and result in a recommendation that you be transferred to the hospital’s emergency room for further treatment.

In general, conditions that should be evaluated in an Emergency Department include:

• Deep cuts or bleeding that won’t stop
• Large bone fractures
• Problems related to pregnancy
• Knife or gunshot wounds
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Chest pain
• Suspected stroke or heart attack
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe burns
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Abdominal pain

Those that can be treated in an Urgent Care setting may include:

• Minor injuries
• Minor Lacerations
• Eye redness or irritation
• Minor fractures (fingers, toes)
• Urinary tract infections
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Fever or flu
• Sore throat
• Skin rashes
• Skin infections
• Sprains and strains

Also, the urgent care physician may determine that your condition warrants emergency evaluation and recommend that you be transferred to the hospital’s emergency room for further treatment.

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Disclaimer: This information is intended to serve as a reference only and is not provided as a professional service, as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical care.