Urgent care is a great way to be seen for a medical issue without making an appointment. It should not be confused with emergency services, which would require you to go to an emergency room. Urgent care is more for things like illnesses or minor cuts and scrapes. The wait times for urgent care clinics are typically longer than emergency rooms. You can call ahead to find out the current wait times. Some clinics even have them listed on the clinic's website. This guide goes over a few of the things you could visit an urgent care facility for.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis is a common illness for all ages and it can be treated at urgent care. People who have this illness usually think they have a cold at first, but then the symptoms get progressively worse. Bronchitis is the inflammation of the bronchial tubes which are the tubes responsible for carrying air in and out of the lungs. The symptoms of this illness are:

• Headache

• Fever

• Sore throat

• Cough

• Runny nose

• Shortness of breath

• Chest pain

The illness lasts about two weeks before it goes away. Because it is a virus, antibiotics do not help. Your doctor can prescribe a temporary inhaler to help with the shortness of breath. They may also suggest a humidifier to ease your cough and help you breathe better.

Ear Infection

Young children and babies are prone to getting ear infections. There are three different types of ear infections: outer, middle, and inner. The symptoms for each infection is different, but all of them are extremely painful. Other common symptoms for ear infections are:

• Redness

• Swelling

• Discharge from ear

• Fever

• Ringing in ear

• Dizziness

• Vomiting

The symptoms may be more severe depending on how bad the infection is. The doctor will diagnose the patient by checking the inside of the ear. If there are signs of infection present, an antibiotic will be prescribed. Over-the-counter medications can also be used to treat pain and fevers. Heating packs also provide some relief from the pain. Children who get multiple ear infections may be referred to an ENT doctor to determine what is causing the infections.

Conclusion

Whenever you have an urgent issue, these facilities are extremely convenient to use. There is usually an urgent care center in small cities, so it should be easy to find one close to your location. Remember to call ahead to bypass long waiting times.