If you are going to an urgent care clinic, you are most likely going there in order to be seen, and treated faster than scheduling an appointment at your doctor’s office. While an urgent care clinic is not the same as an emergency room, urgent care centers are able to treat a number of different conditions that require prompt attention. Urgent care centers are so convenient because they have the ability to offer various different diagnostic testing in just “1” convenient stop for you. Being able to offer diagnostic testing on site will save you travel time, and get you treated quickly. Let’s take a look at the different types of diagnostic testing that can be done at an urgent care center.

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Diagnostic Testing That Can Be Performed At An Urgent Care Center

• X-rays: Urgent care clinics are able to perform an x-ray at your walk in visit if your condition requires one. Typically when you are in need of an x-ray you either have to get a referral and a script from your primary physician to go elsewhere for an X-ray, which requires a second appointment, or you would have to go to the emergency room to get an x-ray. What if your condition was not life-threatening and you didn’t want to take the dreaded trip to the ER. This is where urgent care clinics come in. They offer the ability to come in, get examined by a doctor and then have an x-ray done right then and there if required. Having both a doctor’s visit and an x-ray in one trip helps to save the patient’s time, as well as get them treatment quicker which can reduce pain, anxiety, and possibly even reduce further damage if treated immediately.
• EKG: An EKG may be essential if you are experiencing heart arrhythmias, or any other uneasy heart related issues. While you should always go to your nearest emergency for any type of heart condition that could be life threatening, an urgent care center does have the ability to run an EKG should you need one while you are at your visit. Certain surgical procedures may also require a pre-surgical EKG, which an urgent care clinic can perform for you. Not all doctor’s offices have EKG technicians, or even EKG machines to run an EKG, so an urgent care center is a great option if you are needing to have one done.
• Strep Testing: Rapid strep tests are available at urgent care clinic fairfield ct. Having a sore throat can drag you down, and could be a sign of a nasty bacterial infection. Rapid strep tests are performed at urgent care centers, and they only take a couple of minutes to provide the doctor with a diagnosis to get you treated.
• Mono: Mono is another diagnostic test that can be done at an urgent care center. Mono can really take its toll on you, and when you have mono you will most likely know it due to the symptoms. Mono is not something you will want to wait to get into your doctor to diagnose, which is why this diagnostic procedure at an urgent care center is so useful.
• STD Testing: STD testing is made available at urgent care centers. If you are at risk for potentially having an STD, this is something you will want to get medical treatment for right away. Urgent care centers are able to provide testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It is vital to diagnose and begin treating STDs as earlier as possible. This is why you should consider visiting an urgent care clinic, as soon as you suspect you’ve contracted an STD. With their testing applications, you’ll be provided with a definite answer within a matter of minutes. Then, you’ll be able to get the treatment you need more rapidly than you would otherwise.
• Drug Screening: You may be in need of a drug screening test for school, or work. Instead of having to go to your doctor for a script to go to a different lab, you can go to an urgent care center for a single stop, and get your drug screening completed. Alcohol breath testing is also available.
• Pregnancy Tests: Going to your physician, or purchasing a pregnancy test in store is not the only way to test for pregnancy. At urgent care clinics you are able to walk in and get a pregnancy test done as well. Of course, you should realize that such clinics are capable of performing a wide variety of different tests. Pregnancy tests can be performed with strips and even with your blood. When visiting an urgent care clinic, you will be able to choose either option. You may also be able to gain access to ovulation test strips. This will give you the ability to perform the test in the comfort of your own home. If you wish to get the most accurate results as quickly as possible, you’ll want to head to an urgent care clinic and ask for a pregnancy test.
• Blood Tests: Blood tests are used to confirm the diagnosis of various types of medical conditions. Urgent care centers have trained phlebotomists available to take a blood sample and test for things such as complete blood counts, therapeutic blood levels, and full lab panels.
• Influenza (Flu): Flu screenings are available at urgent care centers. If you suspect you may have the flu it is crucial to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible to be treated with an anti-viral if your flu test comes back positive. You cannot wait more than a couple of days after symptoms start to see a doctor, since the medications available only work well if the flu is caught early. Head to an urgent care center if you suspect you have the flu to get in immediately and be tested, and if needed treated for the flu.
• Hypertension: High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease if left untreated. If you believe you have high blood pressure it is important to get seen by a doctor. You can go to an urgent care to have a high blood pressure screening, and based on the results the physician can start you on medications to control your blood pressure.
• Urinalysis: Urinalysis testing is done in order to diagnose various types of medical conditions. Urinalysis testing may be done to detect kidney issues, pregnancy, urinary tract infections, or for a drug screening just to name a few. If you are at an urgent care center, and your symptoms require a urinalysis you won’t have to go to an additional lab to have this done, they can run this diagnostic test right at the clinic.

Should You Go To An Urgent Care For a Diagnostic Test?

If you are in need of a non-life threatening diagnostic test, chances are an urgent care center will have the ability to run the test. There are many different variety of tests that can be done at urgent care clinics. These diagnostic tests can provide the patient with fast service, and quick results in order to get them diagnosed quickly, and on the correct treatment plan.