Roles of Walk-In Clinics in Canada

1. Roles Of Walk-in Clinic In Canada

2. Introduction A walk-in clinic is a medical care provider that allows walk-in patients with no appointments. These clinics are usually situated in areas that you least expect, like malls.

3. Walk-in clinics are not designed to treat life threatening emergencies. It's very important to know the roles of different healthcare providers and have your options in mind before an emergency strikes in. Formally, walk-in clinics in Canada were designed for those people who had no insurance. They have now evolved to provide medical care to anyone who is in urgent need.

4. Table of contents • Roles of Walk-In Clinics in Canada • Can You Substitute Your Doctor for a Walk-In Clinic? • Advantages of Walk-In Clinics • Disadvantages of Walk-In Clinics

5. Roles of Walk-In Clinics in Canada Walk-in clinics are appropriate for treating health issues that are not life-threatening. These clinics also treat minor injuries like: • Minor broken bone • Eye Injury • Back pain • Minor Burns • Minor Cuts • Sprain

6. Can You Substitute Your Doctor for a Walk-In Clinic? Walk-in clinics can come to your rescue when you feel you need fast medical attention. However, this should not give you a reason to dump your family doctor. Walk-in clinics are only there to act as a substitute for your medical needs. Here are the reasons why you cannot replace your doctor with a walk-in clinic: • Your doctor has your history, but the clinic doctor doesn't. Walk-in clinics do not conduct comprehensive tests on you like your doctor would have done. • These clinics are known for treating temporary ailments, so if you've had a health problem for a long time, then a walk-in clinic might not help you.

7. Walk-in clinics are known to render their services at a fast rate. However, this doesn't mean that these clinics can handle emergencies. If you have a history of seizure or heart attack, don't go to a walk-in clinic when you feel sick instead of rushing to the Emergency Room. Make it a habit of visiting your doctor routinely so that he can assess your body.

8. Advantages of Walk-In Clinics Although they don't cater to other serious ailments, walk-in clinics are very helpful. Provide on Demand Health Care The fact that you do not need an appointment to receive treatment makes these clinics highly desirable. You do not need to wait for your doctor to schedule up an appointment with you. Just walk in and get treated.

9. Fast Service With walk-in clinics, waiting hours are shorter than in Emergency Rooms. These clinics have also reduced the number of patients who were going to the ER. This has helped to free up the ER space making it easier for those with life threatening ailments.

10. Cheaper Services Walk-in clinics seem to offer services at a fraction of ER treatment costs. It will cost you more to use the ER facility, which is only meant for those with life threatening conditions. Available The walk-in clinics are still being opened up in Canada. This ensures that fast medical care is available to everyone.

11. Flexible Hours Walk-in clinics work past beyond business hours, and they also open on weekends. This is an advantage to those people who work late or those who have a tight schedule.

12. Disadvantages of Walk-In Clinics • Walk-in clinics handle multiple cases in a day. Going to these clinics can waste a lot of time because you might find many people waiting to be treated. • Walk-in clinics are only limited to handle small types of ailments. Walk-in clinics do not have continuity of medical care. Continued medical care is crucial because it allows the doctor to study your body and know it better. • The payments in a walk-in clinic are not set up, so it's hard for you to know if your problem simple or complicated.

13. There are things that your doctor does that a walk-in doctor can’t. These are: • Keeping records of your health issues, a family doctor ensures that he has every detail, whether you went to the ER or visited another doctor. • Your doctor organizes preventive medical care like cancer screening and diabetes testing. • Most doctors attend to their patients anywhere, be it at the hospital or home. • The family doctor is usually available to give you answers over the phone concerning your health. In walk-in clinics, the doctors don’t have the time to create that relationship with the patients.

14. NB: Walk-in doctors and family doctors earn the same amount of money. Don't shy away from consulting a family doctor, thinking that the bills will be higher than when you go to walk-in clinics. Walk-in clinics were built to bridge family doctors and emergency rooms, which were already overcrowded. There are two kinds of walk-in clinics, and one works for extended hours while others work after business hours. The citizens of Canada have utilized the services of the walk-in clinics to a great extent.

15. Contact details Bay College Medical & Lockwood Diagnostic Address: 790 Bay St #108, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1N8 BCML Walk-in Clinic: 416-929-1900 Lockwood: 416-921-2121 & 1-800-667-0923  Email: info@lockwoodclinic.com Website - https://lockwoodclinic.com/walk-in-clinic/