Question.1123 - Review the following article: Allen, L., Cummings, J. R., & Hockenberry, J. M. (2021). The impact of urgent care centers on nonemergent emergency department visits.Links to an external site. Health Services Research, 56(4), 721–730. In your summary, discuss the differences between an urgent care and the emergency room, the advantages and disadvantages of an urgent care and what ways the use of an urgent care can be utilized more in communities versus seeking services at an emergency room. Are there any tools that a community can use to increase the use of an urgent care over the use of an emergency room? Additionally, include a personal or professional experience in either of these settings. Address 3 - 5 options to explore.
Answer Below:
Urgent care centers and emergency rooms (ER) serve distinct purposes in the healthcare system. In contrast, emergency rooms are designed to address critical, life-threatening situations. The article "The impact of urgent care centers on nonemergent emergency department visits" sheds light on the differences in how healthcare services are used at these two types of medical facilities. The presence of an open urgent care center in a specific ZIP code led to a significant 17.2% reduction in the number of residents from that area visiting the emergency department (Allen et al., 2021). This decrease was primarily attributed to fewer visits for less serious medical issues. The benefits of urgent care include reduced wait times, lower costs, and availability during evenings, weekends, and holidays when primary care doctors are unavailable. In contrast, downsides may consist of restricted services and a lack of doctors on-site, making them inappropriate for more severe medical situations. To increase the use of urgent care centers in communities over ERs, several tools can be employed: Public Awareness Campaigns. Integration of Telemedicine Services. Insurance providers can inform their customers about the potential cost savings when opting for urgent care facilities for non-urgent medical needs. From my professional observations, I noticed that visiting urgent care centers for minor injuries and illnesses can be highly advantageous. Patients tend to value the convenience, shorter wait times, and cost-effectiveness that come with choosing urgent care for such non-urgent situations. On the flip side, some individuals have turned to the emergency room for issues that could have been addressed at an urgent care center, highlighting the importance of better public awareness about the appropriate use of healthcare facilities. To go deeper into this, it is critical to understand the precise hurdles that prevent people from visiting urgent care centres and develop tailored strategies to eliminate those barriers, therefore increasing proper utilization of these facilities and minimizing nonemergent ER visits. Reference: Allen, L., Cummings, J. R., & Hockenberry, J. M. (2021). The impact of urgent care centers on nonemergent emergency department visits. Health Services Research, 56(4), 721–730.More Articles From Medicine
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