Abstract
An urgent care center can be defined as an alternative to the emergency department for traumatic/non-traumatic conditions that do not require life-saving measures. According to Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), “An urgent care center is a medical clinic with expanded hours that is specially equipped to diagnose and treat a broad spectrum of non-life and limb threatening illnesses and injuries”.1Urgent care first came to light in the 1970s with the aim of meeting immediate health care requirements.2The first urgent care center was opened in the United States in the early 1980s.3 These centers accept unscheduled walk-in patients on a first-come, first-serve basis.4 This facility is far more cost effective than the emergency department.2 According to recent statistics, the emergency room is on average 3–4 times more expensive than an urgent care center for conditions like sore throat, UTIs etc.2 Another study conducted by Robin M. Weinick et Al states that 13–27% of all emergency room visits could be treated at an urgent care center or a retail clinic. This could save about 4.4 billion dollars in the United States each year.5 This method of care has proven to be more patient-friendly for those who wish to be treated immediately but also who do not have a life-threatening condition. Furthermore, urgent care centers are facilitated with much equipment such as X-ray and on-site services like a laboratory which speeds up the diagnosis and treatment.
Muhammad Anzar Ullah, , Muhammad Anzar Ullah. (2019) THE DIRE NEED OF URGENT CARE CENTERS IN PAKISTAN; A POTENTIAL SOLUTION TO EMERGENCY ROOM OVERCROWDING, JOURNAL OF AYUB MEDICAL COLLEGE ABBOTTABAD, Volume 31, Issue 1.
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