Along with not going to an urgent care when you are having a true health emergency, one of the worst things you can do is not get follow-up care if your urgent care physician has instructed you to, according to Duchynski.
Duchynski said that too often, sick or injured patients who require follow-up treatment don’t get it. He said that sometimes patients don’t return for wound checks, follow-up X-rays, or physical therapy, or they’ll ignore symptoms that creep back even after getting antibiotics or other treatment. They should either return to urgent care or see their primary care provider, Duchynski said.
Bower agreed. He said that some patients leave urgent care or other medical facilities determined to “tough it out” rather than listen to the doctor, not using provided crutches, skipping prescribed medication, ignoring a specialist referral, or not returning for a follow-up.
Bower is still haunted by the memory of a young father he treated years ago ― at his practice, not at urgent care ― for influenza. Bower advised the young man to return if the symptoms got worse. The symptoms did worsen, but he remained at home, assuming he could recover on his own.
“Ten days later, he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia and sepsis,” Bower said. “Tragically, he didn’t survive.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.