Three Symptoms and Urgent Health Needs That You Should Never Ignore - Legacy ER

Do you know whether your symptoms require urgent medical care? And even more importantly, do you know where you’ll go to have those symptoms treated?

Recent research from the Association of American Medical Colleges has shown that the U.S. will be short more than 90,000 physicians by 2020 and an astonishing 130,000 physicians by 2025. Given this impending shortage of medical care, it’s never too early to make sure you’re taking care of your urgent medical needs now.

This is especially true if you’re currently experiencing symptoms that indicate a more serious condition. And when about 60 percent of urgent care clinics see wait times that are less than 15 minutes to see a licensed physician, these clinics are often right for your schedule, your budget and your health.

Could those symptoms you’re experiencing actually be urgent medical needs that require you to visit the emergency room or urgent care center? Here’s a look at three health symptoms that should never be ignored:

A Fever

Got a fever? Your high temperature isn’t exactly an illness itself; it’s often a sign of an underlying medical condition — oftentimes an infection of some kind — that, if untreated, could become dangerous. For that reason, your best bet is to head to an urgent care clinic for treatment. For young children and babies, fever can quickly become life-threatening, so they should be brought to the emergency room as quickly as possible.

Persistent Pain

If you’ve been experiencing a persistent pain, it’s a good idea to seek out urgent care. This is especially true if you’re experiencing chest pain that doesn’t go away and is accompanied by symptoms like sweating, vomiting or shortness of breath. In this case, you should go to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Ear Pain

Pain in one’s ear is an annoyance at best and debilitating at worst. Typically, this pain is a sign of everything from a simple earwax blockage of your ear canal to a middle ear infection or sinus infection. At any rate, this is a symptom that would be best treated at an urgent care center before the problem worsens.

When it comes to your health and well-being, you should never wait to see the best, most timely primary medical care treatments and services.