Question:
Do I have a higher chance of getting an inappropriately prescribed antibiotic in an urgent care than in a doctor’s office?
Answer:
Yes
MedHead Confidence Score: 5
Amount Saved: $50 medical research
MedHead Message:
To all those who honestly believe that urgent care clinics have your best health in mind, think again. Health providers at urgent care clinics wrote for an antibiotic in 40% of all visits! When looking at appropriateness of the antibiotic, almost 50% of all antibiotics given at urgent care facilities were unnecessary! This, compared to only 17% inappropriate prescribing in your doctor’s office. This is a no-brainer folks. If you are going to feel good about paying $200 for being there, at least you should get what you want, right? Wrong! Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is slowly causing resistance in the general population, and eventually we’ll have no way to treat true bacterial infections in the future because of the existence of urgent care centers. Think about it…50% of all antibiotics prescribed in urgent care clinics are unnecessary. Save yourself the $200 charge, wait another day and go treat yourself to a day spa treatment instead.
References:
1. Palms, D et al. Comparison of Antibiotic Prescribing in Retail Clinics, Urgent Care Centers, Emergency Departments, and Traditional Ambulatory Care Settings in the United States. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(9):1267-1269. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.1632
