You or someone in your family may experience a medical problem outside of your doctor’s office hours and need quick, competent treatment. Urgent care centers are facilities that are open beyond usual physician hours and have specially trained health professionals on hand to help with a variety of health issues, which sometimes includes prescribing antibiotics for bacterial infections. If you need medical help after office hours, an urgent care facility in Austin TX can provide a number of treatments for your family’s needs.
Conditions Urgent Care Can Treat
Urgent care facilities routinely provide a variety of treatments for common medical problems, such as:
Muscle sprains
Broken bones
High fevers
Cuts and bleeding
Bruising
Breathing problems
Abdominal pain
Severe cough
Sore throats
Back pain
Falls or accidents
Nausea and vomiting
Eye irritation
Urinary tract infections
Skin rashes
When Are Antibiotics Indicated?
Urgent care facilities are authorized to prescribe antibiotics and other medications needed for treatment. However, antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, and many common medical infections are viral, which means that antibiotic treatment would be useless in fighting the infection. Antibiotics can be used to eliminate bacterial growth in open wounds, skin infections, urinary tract infections and some types of upper respiratory infections. Urgent care physicians are highly skilled at determining the cause of a medical issue, so that they can provide the right treatment needed, without prescribing medications that are not likely to help the problem.
Concerns Over Antibiotic Use
In the past, antibiotics were used for a wide variety of conditions. However, research indicates that many of these medical problems were often viral in nature, which made the use of antibiotics unnecessary. In fact, the widespread use of antibiotics has contributed to the problem of antibiotic resistance, a situation in which bacteria evolve to render common antibiotics ineffective. Other treatments can be implemented to provide relief from symptoms while viruses run their course. Physicians at urgent care facilities follow the latest guidelines regarding antibiotic use for medical problems and can advise you on the most effective methods for treating your symptoms.
Urgent care can provide treatment for many health problems that occur outside of normal physician hours and can provide relief from symptoms until you can get to your regular doctor, including prescribing antibiotics when indicated. If you have a medical issue, get immediate help from your local urgent care facility in Austin TX.