Ask Doctor K: Urgent care centers not same as ER

DEAR DOCTOR K: What are urgent care centers? Are they the same as emergency rooms?

DEAR READER: They definitely are not the same. Emergency rooms are for true emergencies – even though many people go to emergency rooms for quite minor problems. Typically, emergency rooms are attached to hospitals, because patients with true emergencies usually need to be hospitalized after their treatment in the emergency room.

In contrast, urgent care centers are for medical problems that benefit from prompt attention but are not life-threatening. Some hospitals staff urgent care centers as well as emergency rooms. However, many urgent care centers are stand-alone units, located in storefronts or drugstores. Urgent care centers are for common illnesses, such as colds, the flu, earaches, sore throats, migraines, low-grade fevers and rashes. They’re also for minor injuries, such as sprains, back pain, minor cuts and burns.

If you have a primary care doctor, the first thing to do is contact him or her – unless you’re convinced it’s a life-threatening emergency. If you don’t have a primary care doctor, then you’ve got a decision to make.

When deciding between an emergency room and an urgent care center, consider this general rule: If a person could die or be permanently disabled, go to an emergency room. If the problem does not seem life-threatening and does not risk disability, go to an urgent care clinic.

Some situations that require emergency treatment in adults are:

• Severe chest pain or pressure;

• Pain in the chest that travels to the arm or jaw, even if not severe;

• Unusually bad headache, especially if it started suddenly;

• Suddenly not being able to speak, see, walk or move;

• Sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the body;

• Choking;

• Head injury followed by passing out, fainting or confusion;

• Injury to neck or spine, especially with loss of feeling or difficulty moving.