Walk In Clinic – What You Need To Know

Waiting for hours to get a badly twisted ankle taken care of is not your idea of proper medical care, is it? In addition to the waiting time, you would also have to pay a hefty fee for the same. Little wonder that more and more people are opting for the services of a nearby walk in clinic when they are hit with urgent but non-life threatening medical problems. A walk in clinic is a clinic where it is possible for patients to meet a doctor in a short period of time, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes or half an hour. Not only is the medical care fast and convenient, it is also inexpensive when compared to the highly expensive costs of care in a regular hospital. To many patients, a walk in clinic is more or less like a first line of defense against a number of medical conditions, ranging from allergies and minor injuries to occupational injuries and chronic illnesses. The same applies to routine check-ups and immunization shots. According to one patient, Jim Pooley, “The walk in clinic is the best place to go to if you want a doctor to examine you to make sure that the condition is or is not serious enough for a second opinion with your regular doctor.” Many people go to walk in clinics for conditions such as allergies, symptoms of flu, ear infection, bronchitis or cough, minor bruises, minor burns, sore throat, sprains, minor fractures and so on. Walk in clinics are known by many names including urgent health care centers or retail health clinics. They have been around since the late 1970s when doctors became aware of the patient’s need for convenient, quick and affordable health care for issues that were non-urgent but pressing nonetheless. However, walk in clinics really took off after 2006 when huge corporations like Walgreens and Wal-Mart opened shop with retail health clinics in their stores. Today, walk in clinics may be found in huge drugstores, malls and megastores, which is an indication of their huge popularity. There are several reasons for this increase in popularity of walk in health clinics. One of the most important factors is inaccessibility to affordable and timely health care. According to a survey, approximately 42% of people who met a primary care physician could meet with a doctor only after a week. Figures such as these only go to show the pressing need for accessibility and convenience when it comes to primary health care. When checking out the right walk in health clinic in your area of residence, make sure that you approach a facility that has experienced professionals at the helm.