Cholesterol screening test: Things you need to know!

Gone are those days when you had to wait for hours to get your injured arm treated or get your screening tests done. But, today, you don’t need to get a prior appointment from the doctor or wait in the long queue for non-life-threatening conditions. All thanks to a walk-in clinic!

Apart from this, visiting an emergency room is more expensive than an urgent care center. This is why, if your health condition is non-life-threatening, it’s advisable to choose an urgent care clinic over an emergency room and primary healthcare center. And most walk-in clinics also have screening tests facility. So, if you’re considering getting cholesterol screen tests, choose an urgent care clinic.

However, before you dive into the cholesterol screening test procedure, it is important to know everything about it. This includes how to prepare yourself for the test, whether you are the right candidate for it or not, and what to expect before, during and after the test.

When is the right time to have a cholesterol test?

People of age 20 or above can get a cholesterol test done every five years. However, the following are the people who need a cholesterol test more often, including:

• A woman above 50.
  
• A man above 45.
  
• If someone has cholesterol more than 200.
  
• A person with low HDL, which means the “good” cholesterol is less than 40 mg/dL for males or less than 50 m/dL for females.
  
• People who are obese or have high blood pressure or any other condition have a higher risk of high cholesterol.
  

How to prepare for a cholesterol test?

Yes, you need to prepare yourself for a cholesterol test. To do this, you shouldn’t eat and drink anything at least nine hours before the screening test. And avoid taking medication until your doctor asks you. In case, you eat medicines before your screening test, it may affect the results.

Which is the right place to have a cholesterol test?

As recommended by the American Heart Association, it is better to have the screening test at your doctor’s office. However, you can also get your test done at a diagnostic center or at a hospital. By choosing your doctor’s office for the cholesterol test, you’ll have the peace of mind by knowing:

• The test is performed by an experienced and qualified person.
  
• The resulting reports are accurate.
  
• The follow-up care after the test is personalized depending on your needs.
  

Hopefully, now you know whether you’re the right candidate for the screening test or not. And if you’re eligible to have a cholesterol screening test, you know how to prepare yourself and where to go. Want to have a cholesterol screening test? Contact the best urgent care clinic in your area.

Top challenges faced by the urgent care clinics

Do you know urgent care clinics are like the Starbucks of the healthcare industry? That means, today, there are plenty of centers in the United States helping patients with urgent medical care. While various exciting things are happening in the urgent care world, these healthcare facilities still face challenges.

Let’s have a look at some of these challenges faced by the urgent care clinics in NYC.

Why choose urgent care clinics?

One of the major challenges is when people asked why Visit urgent care clinics or walk in clinics, as we have primary care physicians to treat common healthcare problems. Well, urgent care clinics are designed to meet an important niche in terms of accessibility, availability and cost. For example, if you get cold and your primary care physician is too busy to take an appointment, you can switch to urgent care clinic. Remember, these healthcare facilities can’t replace primary care physicians, as they are well-familiar with the patient’s history.

Do urgent care centers offer the same services as emergency rooms?

Well, the most common reasons why people visit urgent care centers are pediatric and orthopedic issues. When it comes to emergency room doctors or primary care physicians, they are not trained in treating subtle orthopedic or pediatric problems. In fact, according to the University of Maryland School of Medicine Study conducted in 2014, 90% of pediatric issues are not treated correctly in Emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As a result, these problems can cause further problems such as skin issues, joint dysfunction and poor pain reduction.

For example, if some with fracture visits urgent care clinic, the physician may give ibuprofen to reduce the pain and ask to rest. When in reality, the person needs an X-ray. Hence, urgent care clinics are not reliable for treating fractures, and if you go, the actual treatment may get delayed.

Have you noticed the rise in the use of urgent care clinics?

Nearly 10 to 15 years ago, urgent care clinics were a new in the medical field, and people were doubtful about them. But today, things have changed, people have started noticing the potentials of urgent care centers. And urgent care clinics are getting patients with problems that need urgent medical care. On the other hand, if someone is suffering from chest pain and go to an urgent care clinic, they won’t get a thrombolytic therapy to diagnose a heart attack or stroke.

These are some of the challenges that urgent care clinics face. However, the future holds many promises.

Which Benefits Of Urgent Care Make Them A Popular Option?

When someone gets sick, they look for hassle free (not waiting in long queues for the right medical assistance) medical treatment. This is to ensure that the illness can be diagnosed quickly and appropriate measures can be taken on time to prevent it. We often usually visit our primary healthcare physician to get the right medical assistance. However, there are times when you primary physician is not available or you are unable to get a quick appointment. This is where urgent care clinics come into the picture.

Here are a few points that explains why urgent care clinics are a right option when looking for immediate medical attention.

Meeting public demand: No one wishes to wait in long queue for doctor’s appointment when their loved one needs immediate attention. I mean you can understand, the explosion in population will lay its impact everywhere. So, if you are running out of time then urgent care clinic is your safest bet. In urgent care clinic, you can easily get the required medical care on a walk-in appointment. Unless its an emergency or you have to be referred to an emergency room, you can completely rely on urgent care clinics. But remember, urgent care clinics works on private elements such as ground-floor locations and the ability to schedule same-day appointments using an online calendar program.

Moreover, if you are not quite sure about health care facilities where your test can be done or specialist whom you can get in touch for medical care, then walk in clinic’s professionals can suggest you the best.

Reducing healthcare costs: Another advantage of urgent care clinics that make it a preferred option for many people is its reduced healthcare costs. These clinics are comparatively more affordable than emergency departments and sometimes primary physicians. Now, due to walk in clinic, you don’t need to visit emergency healthcare centers, especially at a time when you are not experiencing a life-threatening medical condition. Believe it, this will be going to save you tons of money. The cost of an urgent care clinic visit is almost similar to a primary care physician.

According to a report of 2015, the average price per patient was $2,259 and $2,199 at a freestanding emergency care clinic. Whereas, searcher concluded that its only $168 that patients need to spend at urgent care clinics.

Faster, easier, cheaper: In context to the above points, the urgent cares are quite beneficial for aging patients as well as for people living in rural areas. The percentage of healthcare insurance claim has seen a significant growth with increase in urgent healthcare facilities.

These are the few benefits of urgent care clinics that make it a preferred option by many patients in the US.

Sinusitis: Causes and Symptoms

Be it an irritating cold in the chilly winter season or a triggered dust allergy, the nasal throbbing and congestion from sinusitis is always a big issue to handle. It is very important to understand what triggers the allergy and take the necessary steps. 

But what exactly is sinusitis?

When the para-nasal sinuses become inflamed, the cavities that produce mucus to keep the nasal passage clear and smooth stops working efficiently. In order to seek immediate medical attention, you can visit urgent care clinic in NY.

 

Sinusitis can be chronic or acute. The reasons for developing sinusitis can be many. It can be because of fungi, bacteria, viruses, allergies, or an autoimmune reaction.

Sinusitis is very uncomfortable and irritating. It generally goes away without any medical intervention. But if the signs are lethal, you might need to seek urgent care in NYC.

Causes of Sinusitis

There can be various factors because of which sinusitis can get triggered. It is basically a result of fluid getting accumulated in the sinuses of the nasal passage. This triggers the build up of germs in the sinuses.

• Pollutants
• Viral infections
• Fungi
• Bacterial infections

Symptoms of sinusitis

Symptoms depend largely on the severity and duration of the infection. In case an individual experiences more than three symptoms out of the below mentioned list, it is recommended to visit a walk in clinic. If the mucus is yellowish in color or thick, then the patient can have acute sinusitis.

Below mentioned is a list of the possible symptoms of sinusitis:

• Thick mucus
• Facial pain
• Nose blockage
• Nasal congestion
• Major cough
• Diminishing sense of smell
• Fever
• Headache
• Toothache
• tiredness

Diagnosing sinusitis In order to diagnose sinusitis, your doctor will first physically examine your condition and draft the symptoms. The doctor at the walk in clinic will make use of a special tool to internally examine the nasal cavity and check the severity of the infection. The Doctor makes use of a device known as an otoscope.

It is best to visit an ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat) for a detailed examination. In case the sinusitis is severe, you might require a CT scan. If the pain is unbearable, you can visit an Urgent Care clinic in NYC.

How Urgent Care Clinics Have Changed The Phase Of Medical Field?

Urgent care clinics are ever emerging healthcare and wellness specialty centers. These centers not only meet the patient needs for convenience and healthcare services but also reroute the care needs. With the long waits at the emergency room and busy appointment schedules of primary care physicians, urgent care has become one of the fastest growing segments in healthcare. Hence, it has created more opportunities for nurses who’re looking for alternatives to conventional clinical roles. 

What do urgent care clinics offer?

When it comes to urgent care clinics, they offer urgent medical care for a number of non-life-threatening, yet urgent health conditions. These clinics consider every single detail; hence, nurses who want to work there must possess excellent problem-solving skills, strong assessment skills, adaptability, and IV start and phlebotomy skills. And they should be able to develop a comfort level with every patient regardless of the age.

Healthcare professionals that work in Urgent care clinics

Usually, nurses work under the direct supervision of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner in urgent care center. This is because medical doctors handle other complex health conditions. Yes, there are some similarities for nurses to work in a hospital and urgent care clinic but with no interruptions from the ancillary services.

 

Most urgent care clinics are equipped with an in-house testing facility, and the nurse is required to obtain and prepare specimen samples for testing. And some centers may even have an on-site radiology suite. If urgent care clinics get more complex cases, they are immediately referred to the emergency department or to specialists.

Where can you find urgent care clinic?

Well, an urgent care clinic can either be freestanding or can be found in an affiliated hospital. One of the major advantages of working in an urgent care clinic is that the working hours are more predictable as compared to emergency department. And the likelihood of burnout is comparatively lower.

Urinary tract infection: Everything you need to know!

Studies suggest that women are at higher risk of getting a urinary tract infection or UTI.

A urinary tract infection is usually caused by bacteria, but can also result from fungi and in rare cases viruses. UTIs are one of the common infections in humans, especially women. You can get urinary tract infection anywhere in the urinary tract, including kidneys, urethra, ureters, and bladder.

Whether you’re suffering from urinary tract infection for the first time or has suffered from this for many times, choosing the best urgent care clinic NYC is essential to ensure you get the right treatment immediately by an experienced medical professional. 

 

Read below to learn more about urinary tract infection.

Here are some of the facts about urinary tract infection.

• Women are more prone to get a urinary tract infection (UTI).
• Some of the common symptoms include a strong, frequent urge to urinate and a burning and painful sensation while urinating.
• You can get urinary tract infection treated with 2 to 3 days.

Signs & symptoms of UTI

Most of the times urinary tract infections don’t show any signs and symptoms, but when they do the following are some of the signs:

• A burning sensation while urinating
• Cloudy urine
• A strong, persistent urge to urinate
• Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
• Strong odor of urine
• Red, bright pink or cola-colored urine
• Pelvic pain in women, especially in the center of the pelvis and around the pubic bone.

If your urinary tract infection goes to your kidneys, your UTI symptoms may also include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Feeling tired
• Pain in the mid-back

How to prevent urinary tract infection?

The following are some of the measures you can take to reduce the risk of developing a UTI:

• Make sure you drink plenty of water and urinate frequently.
• Do not drink fluids such as caffeine and alcohol that can cause irritation in the bladder.
• Always urinate shortly after sex.
• Keep your genital area clean.
• Wipe from front to back after a bowel movement and urinating.
• Don’t use any perfumed products in the genital area.
• Choose showers to bath and avoid using oils.
• Use menstrual cups or sanitary pads over tampons.
• Wear cotton, loose-fitting underwear to ensure the area around the urethra is dry.
• Avoid using a diaphragm or spermicide for birth control.

If you develop any of these symptoms, it is highly advisable to immediately visit one of the best urgent care clinics, especially if the symptoms show a potential kidney infection.

Top 4 Reasons For Muffled Hearing

Have you ever got that feeling where it feels like you have cotton stuffed in your ears? Well, this feeling is known as muffled ears.

Sometimes, you might face hearing disabilities because of unknown reasons. There can be a plethora of reasons that could cause muffled hearing problem.

A person might experience partial deafness or full deafness depending on the severity of the disease. It can affect the single ear or both.

Generally, the root cause of the problem lies in the ear passage. The ear passage can be clogged or obstructed because of earwax or any other abnormal growth in the ear. If that’s the case, it is recommended to visit a Walk-In-Clinic and seek immediate medical attention.

Below mentioned are the top 5 reasons for muffled hearing.

1. Ear Infections: The ear canal can become swollen because of the development of certain infections in the ear canal. This is also known as the swimmer’s ear. The ear can also swell up because of cold and flu. The inner ear panel can become inflamed and perforate, leading to hearing impairment. You might also get exposed to common viruses that can trigger ear infections. In such a case, you must consider visiting urgent care in NYC for medication.

2. Accumulation of earwax: The development and secretion of earwax through the ear helps prevent the accumulation of dust and bacterias in the ears. These dust particles can damage and scar the eardrum if not cleaned every 15 days. However, if the earwax gets accumulated in the ear, then it can lead to blockages. You can make use of an ear wax cleaning kit or visit a walk-in-clinic. It is advised to refrain from using cotton buds as it can worsen the situation and also cause ear damage.

3. Abnormal growth in the ear: It is uncommon, but tumors can get developed in the ear as well. You might experience the build up of tissues and fluid accumulation in the ear that can perforate the ear passage. A person with this condition can lose the hearing ability completely. It is important to consult a specialist as soon as possible in such a  case.

4. Otitis medias: Otitis media is a condition that affects the middle part of the year. It can lead to muffled hearing. If not treated properly, it can further damage the year and cause complications. Otitis medias is also commonly known as glue ear. Fluid gets collected in the ear obstructing the hearing capability. If the density of the fluid is more, you should visit Walk in clinics for quick solutions.

Conductive hearing loss is the most common cause for muffled or obstructed hearing. Various factors are responsible for the development of hearing disabilities. Mostly, these problems are treatable, all you have to do is visit urgent care in NYC.