Summer is a time for family fun outdoors, but urgent care clinic doctors know it’s also the busy season for treating a range of accidental injuries. Here are some of the most common summertime health issues your local doctor will most likely treat several times this summer.

First on the list for your local urgent care clinic are heat stroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration. Many of us love hot weather for days at the beach, hiking in the woods or playing sports outdoors. But if you or someone near you shows signs of confusion, a change in mental status, has stopped sweating and their skin is hot and red, they might be suffering from heat stroke. If they experience muscle cramps, nausea and dizziness but are not confused and their skin is cool and moist, they could have heat exhaustion. Extreme thirst, dry mouth, swollen tongue, muscle weakness, dizziness, confusion, sluggishness and even fainting are signs of dehydration. An urgent care clinic can help provide rapid treatment.

Before arriving at urgent care, get the person out of the heat and into an air-conditioned building. Give them a drink of something non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated.

Advice from an urgent care clinic: Sunburn treatment

You might think of sunburns as the price of a beautiful summer day. But sunburns can cause intense pain and long-term impacts. Studies have linked some types of skin cancer to frequent sunburns.

Sunburn can also cause damage to deeper tissues. Avoid it by wearing a hat and sunglasses. Don't expose yourself to direct sunlight during the brightest, hottest part of the day. Use a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB radiation, and apply it every 90 minutes you are out in the sun. If you do get burned, soak a cloth in an equal mix of whole milk and water, and dab the mixture on the affected area.

If the burn blisters or becomes numb to the touch, see your family doctor.

Other burns

Burns also extend to those from campfires, barbecue grills and fireworks. In the U.S., fire departments respond to over 8,000 fires every year involving barbecues or grills. Improper use of grills and fires can also lead to smoke inhalation and asphyxiation.

You can treat minor burns by running cold water over the affected area. But if the burn is deep or covers a large area, or it is on your hands or face, it's critical to get the person to urgent care.

Stings and bites

Mosquito bites can be itchy and irritating, but increasingly they also transmit serious illnesses such as West Nile Virus. Ticks can spread Lime disease. Stings from bees, hornets and wasps can be painful and even life-threatening for people with allergies.

If you suspect an insect sting or bite might be causing further problems, see your family doctor.

Poisonous plants

Contact with plants like poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac can cause irritating, itchy skin rashes. Most of the time, they can be treated with over-the-counter antihistamines and lotions. However, seek medical attention if the affected area becomes swollen and painful.

Food poisoning

Undercooking meat on the grill and foods such as eggs and mayonnaise, which can spoil in the heat, can lead to food poisoning. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If these symptoms persist, lead to dehydration or bleeding, see your family doctor or, in extreme cases, an urgent care clinic.

Falls

Playgrounds, hiking trails and even the backyard deck can be sites for falls. Your family doctor often treats sprains, strains, lacerations and fractures that happen at favorite summertime places.

Collisions

Summer is the season to enjoy bicycles, scooters, skateboards, ATVs, dirt bikes and other motorized vehicles, and occasionally accidents happen. Even an unfortunate encounter with a golf cart can result in lacerations, fractures, concussions or trauma.

Drowning

Drowning is the second-leading cause of death in children under 5 in the U.S. Enroll children in swimming and water-safety lessons as early as possible, and stay within arm’s reach of young children when swimming. Always wear approved personal flotation devices when boating. Learn CPR. If you or someone you love suffers a near-drowning accident, head straight to an urgent care clinic.

Enjoy your summer

Prevention is the first step to having a great summer season. Wear a hat, use sunscreen and drink plenty of water in hot weather. Apply insect repellent when outdoors. Use personal flotation devices and stay close to children around water. Wear helmets and other protective gear when bicycling and playing sports, and use caution with motorized vehicles.

If accidents happen, don't hesitate to seek an urgent care clinic in West Valley Utah. Visit FirstMed Urgent Care Clinic.

A visit to the family doctor can be stressful. You’re not feeling well, you may be worried about your symptoms or those of a loved one, and doctors are so busy with other patients, they can’t always devote a lot of time to you. This all means there are steps you should take to make sure you get the most out of your time with the family doctor.

Before your appointment, write down a list of all your symptoms along with any questions you’d like to ask your family doctor. Also write down all the medications you take, including the amount, doses, how often you take it. Don’t leave out non-prescription medications, such as over-the-counter pain killers, supplements and vitamins. Include information about any side-effects, such as whether medication makes you feel sleepy or nauseous.

If you’re dealing with a long-term issue, think about keeping a “health journal.” Write down each day your symptoms, how you feel, how you sleep at night, medications you take and the food you eat. Include information about your life, such as major events, changes, sources of stress. Take it with you to your appointment.

At your appointment

If you feel you need someone to help, bring an interpreter or supportive family member or friend. Even if your English is fluent, it’s often helpful just to have that moral support.

Plan your time, and arrive on time for your appointment. Arriving late means you may get less time face-to-face with your family doctor.

Don’t let embarrassment keep you from describing your symptoms — your family doctor needs all the information you have to be able to assess the issue and prescribe the right way to treat it. Include your emotional and spiritual concerns: how does this health issue or a prescribed treatment make you feel? Often it helps just to be able to talk about these issues.

Tell your family doctor about your hopes for the future. What is important to you — playing sports, spending more time with family, taking a trip? What are your worries about the future?

During the appointment take notes, or ask a friend or family member to take notes for you.

Before you leave

Before the appointment is over, review your notes and repeat the family doctor’s prescribed treatment and suggestions the way you understand. Make sure it’s clear to you.

Ask questions about anything you don’t understand about causes and symptoms.

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• What is the treatment, exactly? If it’s medication, how strong is it? Exactly when and how should you take it — with food, on an empty stomach, in the morning or before bed?

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• Are there any choices or alternative treatments? Why did the family doctor choose this prescription? What are the pros and cons of each, such as possible complications or side effects?

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• Is there anything you need to avoid while taking the prescription or following the treatment? For example, should you abstain from alcohol while taking a new medication, or avoid certain activities? Are there any changes or accommodations you should ask your employer for while you are taking this treatment?

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• What should you do if you have side effects or complications?

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• How long do you need to take the prescription or treatment? Can you stop when your symptoms go away?

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• Best way and time to contact the family doctor or the office with follow-up questions, or to advise them of changes in your symptoms, side-effects or complications? Can you telephone or email?

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• What are the next steps: tests, appointments with specialists, follow-up appointments?

Next steps

Remember that nurses at the clinic, and pharmacists, are also excellent sources of information.

As an urgent care clinic and family doctor in Salt Lake City Utah, FirstMed is always available to help you with any medical concerns.

The number of urgent care clinics in the U.S. is growing because they answer a need in the community: medical care and treatment that responds to what you need at the moment. The urgent care clinic is set up to treat things like ear, eye or skin infections, sprains and strains and injuries that require immediate treatment but are not life-threatening.

It can be confusing. How do you decide between your primary care physician (also known as your family doctor), the hospital emergency room and urgent care?

Your primary care doctor is the first place you go for health care, services and advice. This is where you receive your regular check-ups, and it’s the primary care physician’s job to coordinate specialized services, advice and information on family health. This is the doctor you turn to for your long-term health issues and concerns as you advance through key life stages.

An urgent clinic is for those times when you need health care or treatment immediately, but it’s not life-threatening. This can include persistent coughs, strange rashes, eye or throat infections, nausea and vomiting — the list goes on. These clinics are able to treat some long-term conditions, such as asthma and back pain. First Med clinics also provide occupational medical services, such as drug and alcohol testing and physical evaluations for employers, sports and school.

If you have a broken leg, an urgent care clinic may splint the injury and then send you by ambulance to a hospital emergency room. On the other hand, these clinics are not the place to take someone who is having a heart attack. In other words, the urgent care clinic can provide a complete range of treatment for minor illnesses, sprains and strains, and on-the-job injuries, as long as there's no threat to life.

Benefits of urgent care

• Availability. They’re open every day and into the evening, so they’re ready when you have an issue, even when your family doctor is not.
• Range of services. Urgent care clinics are equipped and ready to deal with whatever your situation may be, from a sprain to a rash, a fever or an infection.
• Affiliations with hospitals. Most clinics have affiliations with local hospitals and can refer you for the follow-up care you may need.

When to choose your family doctor

While the urgent care clinic is available when you need it, it’s not a substitute for your regular primary care doctor. Your family doctor knows your medical history: your allergies, previous injuries and illnesses, and medical preferences. Your primary doctor is also the right choice for regular, annual medical check-ups, continuing care, information and advice on long-term issues or to renew prescriptions.

Remember that the co-pay for a visit to your primary care doctor is usually much less than that of a visit to the hospital emergency room.

When to choose First Med

Look to urgent care in West Jordan Utah when you need medical attention outside of regular office hours. For example, if you sprain your ankle, fall off a ladder at work, or develop a sudden fever or rash. They’re also suitable for treating flus and colds, or if your child has an ear infection.

When to choose the hospital ER

Emergency rooms are for treating urgent, acute and life-threatening conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke, gunshot or knife wounds, severe limb, back or head injuries or anything else that may have a long-term or life-threatening implication.

When people suffer a traumatic injury, getting them to the closest urgent care clinic is vital. But if you are on the scene with them, there are things you can do immediately to help before and during your trip to an urgent care clinic.

If there is a splinter or glass embedded in the skin or wound, first wash the area around the wound with soap and water. Sterilize a pair of tweezers with rubbing alcohol, then use them to slowly pull the object out. If there are several pieces of glass that you cannot remove, gently wrap the area with a clean cloth and go to an urgent care clinic or emergency department.

Press a clean cloth firmly on any bleeding wound and hold it in place until the blood flow stops. This can take from three minutes to 15 minutes. If you have time, clean the wound with lukewarm running water.

If the wound is the result of an animal scratch or bite, wash it gently with soap and rinse it with lukewarm water. Cover it with gauze or a bandage and head for the urgent care clinic.

Burns

Act quickly: Time is critical with burns. Immediately hold the burn under cool running water or, if it’s available, apply snow to the burn. Keep it under the water or snow until the pain subsides. Cover the burned area and any small blisters with gauze. Place tape or a bandage loosely over the wound. Go to the urgent care clinic if the burn is on the hands, face or genitals, or if it covers an area of the body larger than a quarter-inch.

For deep burns or a burn with a surface area of more than 10 percent of the body, call 911. Cover the victim with a blanket to prevent hypothermia until medical care arrives.

Insect bites and stings

Bees will leave part of their stinger under the skin. It must be removed immediately. Don’t use tweezers, which can squeeze more venom into the wound. Instead, hold a fingernail or, better yet, a credit card at an angle over the stinger. Gently scrape the stinger out without breaking it.

Go to an urgent care clinic if the victim begins to cough, has a hoarse voice or exhibits trouble breathing, develops hives or appears to have a swollen tongue or lips.

Eye injury

You should get to urgent care immediately if you have sustained a hit or a poke in the eye that causes severe pain, sensitivity to light, blurry vision or continuous tears.

If a chemical has been splashed onto the eye, hold the eyelids open and flush with lukewarm water. Call Poison Control.

Hold a cool, wet cloth over the eye as you go to urgent care.

Heart attack

Chest pain, pressure, breathing trouble, cold and sweaty skin, paleness and jaw pain are some signs of a heart attack. Yet there are also soft signs including mild, unfocused chest pain that comes and goes, or starts mild and gets stronger, as well as fatigue and flu-like symptoms.

If you have First Aid training, administer CPR. Perform chest compressions for 30 seconds, followed by two breaths of artificial respiration into the airway. Then continue the compressions. If you are not trained in CPR, compression-only CPR is acceptable as long as the victim has not used up all the oxygen in his or her bloodstream.

Any heart attack requires immediate medical treatment. Call 911 or, if it’s safe, take the victim to the nearest emergency room or urgent care.

Be prepared

You never know when a emergency might happen, so be ready to react quickly with a home First Aid kit. It should contain:

• emergency telephone numbers — not just 911, but also numbers for your local poison control center, emergency management office and family doctors. Also include home and work numbers for family, friends or neighbors who can help in an emergency. For example, if you have children, it's important to include numbers of people who can look after them in the event you have to take another family member to urgent care.
• sterile gauze pads or dressings of various sizes
• adhesive tape
• bandages
• antiseptic wipes or fluid
• eye patches
• thermometer
• face shield or pocket mask
• cloth to make an arm sling
• scissors
• tweezers
• safety pins
• instant ice packs
• disposable, non-latex surgical or examination gloves
• a First Aid manual

Be prepared to take those first steps when an emergency strikes. Then seek professional medical care at FirstMed Urgent Care Clinic, a top urgent care clinic in West Valley Utah.