08/18/2026
Urgent Care vs. the Emergency Room
by Dr. Gina Rosenfeld
https://cpmgsandiego.com/after-hours-urgent-care-2/
Emergency Care (ER):
Many parents mistakenly assume that the emergency room is the only place to take their child when an injury or illness arises. Actually, an emergency room should only be considered when an injury or illness appears life threatening. Examples of life threatening injuries/symptoms that would warrant an immediate visit to the emergency room include:
Compound fractures
Seizures,
Major head injuries
Severe pains
Ingestion of poisons
Snake bites
Severe burns
Chest pains, etc.
As a general rule of thumb, emergency care will usually be warranted anytime:
Something that shouldn’t be in the body enters the body.
The body is unable to maintain what it needs to survive (like blood or oxygen).
Pain becomes so severe that it interferes with normal day to day activities
Person appears incoherent and not in their usual frame of mind (possible sign of severe heat related injuries or severe head injuries).
Urgent Care (UC):
Before driving a child to the emergency room or calling an ambulance, parents should ask themselves whether or not their child’s ailments are life threatening. If the answer is no, it would be best to seek medical attention at an urgent care facility not an emergency room. If the parent is ever unsure whether or not an injury or illness is life threatening, they are encouraged to seek emergency care until a medical professional can declare the ailment non-life threatening.
An urgent care facility is meant to supplement the services of a primary care facility. When an injury or symptom appears non-life threatening, individuals should attempt to contact their primary care physician for treatment first. In the event that a primary care physician is not available, an urgent care facility is the next best alternative. Non-life threatening injuries include, but are not limited to:
Allergic reactions
Minor aches and pains
Sprains
Injuries only requiring stitches
Minor fractures
Mild fever
Sore throat
Nausea
Superficial cuts and scrapes, etc.
Costs and Wait Times: UC versus ER:
When faced with a non-life threatening ailment, urgent care facilities are traditionally less expensive than emergency room services and generally require much less waiting time before patients are allowed to see a doctor. In emergency room settings, medical staffs are required to service patients based on the severity of their ailments, not their order of arrival into the emergency room. That is why those with non-life threatening ailments in crowded emergency rooms often spend several hours in a waiting area prior to being seen by a doctor. Unlike emergency rooms, urgent care facilities let patients make appointments to see doctors, eliminating unnecessary waiting periods and letting patients seek medical care with as little interruption to their daily routines as possible. Since most urgent care facilities operate as independent clinics, each will usually have their own hours of operation and policies as to the acceptance of walk-in patients.
Continuity of Care:
While urgent care is an excellent way to receive treatment for non-life threatening medical issues, Children’s Physicians Medical Group (CPMG) San Diego recommends that children and adults alike establish and maintain an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider. Maintaining a doctor/patient relationship with a primary care provider helps maintain continuity of treatment and accuracy of record keeping. Anyone who visits an urgent care facility is reminded to alert their primary care physician of the ailment that triggered the visit and any treatment prescribed by urgent care staff.
