When Should I Take My Child to Urgent Care?
Urgent care is a great choice if the problem with your child is not potentially fatal or could cause impairment, your medical professional is unavailable, and you are unable to wait for a scheduled visit. Urgent care centers are typically longer than regular business hours and open on weekends. Kevin Penwell (D.O.) and his team at Immediate Care of Oklahoma provide quick, affordable medical care for your child and the option to be treated without an appointment. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you.
Table of Contents:
When should you seek medical attention for a child?
What urgent care services are available for my child?
What are the signs and symptoms a child needs urgent care attention to?
Why choose Immediate Care of Oklahoma for your Child’s medical needs?
Children can be even more susceptible to contracting illnesses or incurring injuries than adults as they are learning the boundaries of their physical capabilities and spend every day in contact with dozens of other children. Having a healthcare provider that you can bring your child to in times of unexpected illness or injury is essential in ensuring their health and safety.
Young children are much less capable of effectively communicating when they are not feeling good or are in intense pain, so it is important that parents or other guardians look out for different signs or indicators among their children that can be indicative of conditions that require medical attention. Generally speaking, if a child has a high fever, is struggling to breathe properly, has any severe injuries is complaining of severe pain, or has persistent vomiting, they most likely should be assessed by a healthcare provider. Illnesses and injuries can display differently among children than they do in adults and can also affect them differently, with some of these conditions causing long-term negative effects or being more severe among children. So, if you are ever unsure if your child needs medical attention, it is always recommended that you err on the side of caution and at least reach out to an urgent care clinic or other types of health care provider to help you determine what degree of care the situation warrants.
The services that are available for pediatric care from urgent care clinics will vary depending on the capabilities of the health care providers and if they have specialized in family medicine or pediatrics. Many urgent care clinics will offer the same medical services to their pediatric patients as to their adult or geriatric patients, ensuring that everyone has access to the essential services and resources that they need to improve their overall health.
Some pediatric-specific services that are often provided by urgent care clinics include:
– Respiratory Syncytial Virus
– School physical examinations
– Treatments for ear infections and pink eye
It is also important for urgent care clinics that offer medical services for children to have pediatric accommodations for typical services, often including medical supplies that are safer for use on smaller bodies, such as smaller gauge needles, child-safe medications, smaller slings, bandages, and braces, for example. The physicians will also need to know how to adjust the various services that they offer to ensure that they will be safe and appropriate for use on children.
Symptoms that children display for common illnesses or injuries can often differ from what we expect to see among adults, making it very important for parents to be knowledgeable about what signs and symptoms point to the child needing urgent care.
Some important signs and symptoms that develop in children when they are suffering from illnesses or injuries that should be addressed by urgent care include:
– Difficulty breathing or swallowing
– Severe allergic reactions
– Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
– Severe pain
– High fevers that last longer than a couple of days
– Any injuries to the head
– Bleeding that is uncontrolled
– Sudden changes in consciousness or behavior
Depending on the health of your child, there may be other symptoms or signs for which physicians may recommend you look for that can indicate that your child needs to be taken to a nearby urgent care clinic. If your child is displaying severe symptoms or any signs that they require immediate medical care for something that is possibly life- or limb-threatening, they should be taken to the nearest emergency room or 911 should be contacted as quickly as possible.
Immediate Care of Oklahoma offers high-quality health care for all of your family members, regardless of their age. With a large team of professional and compassionate healthcare providers, every patient who comes into any one of our locations will be welcomed and well cared for. We offer essential pediatric care as well, ensuring that your child’s needs are addressed and their experience at our clinic is as comfortable as possible while providing swift care to ensure that they can get back to being a kid as quickly as possible. To learn more about our pediatric services, please contact Immediate Care of Oklahoma today.
The professionals at Immediate Care of Oklahoma will evaluate and care for children who require immediate medical attention but do not have life-threatening conditions or diseases. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you. We serve patients from West Moore OK, Norman (HealthPlex) OK, Norman (24th) OK, Edmond OK, Yukon OK, I-240 & Sooner RD OK, Tecumseh OK, and Bethany OK.
Additional Services You May Need
▸ Urgent Care Services
▸ Illness + Injuries
▸ On Site Lab + X-Ray
▸ Helpful Health
▸ Motor Vehicle Accidents
▸ Drug Testing
▸ MRO
▸ UTI Treatment
▸ Employment Physicals
▸ Workers Comp
▸ Strep Throat Treatment
▸ Pregnancy Testing
▸ Blood Pressure Testing
▸ Urinalysis
▸ Mononucleosis Treatment
▸ Suture Removal
▸ Respiratory Syncytial Virus
▸ OccMed