United States – A new poll has shown that our seniors mainly started using “doc-in-a-box” strip mall clinics and urgent care centers as faster ways to get prompt medical care.
Some 60% of individuals who are 50 – 80 years old converged on urgent care centers or retail health clinics within the last two years even though they never visited such places before, as reported by HealthDay.
Alternative Clinics
“The rapid rise in availability of these kinds of clinics, which typically offer walk-in convenience, expanded hours and self-scheduling of appointments in locations close to home, work or shopping, has transformed the American health care landscape in less than two decades,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren, director of the University of Michigan National Poll, as reported by HealthDay.
Urgent Care Facilities
Urgent care facilities are the most frequent alternate source of care for seniors and for the middle-aged, with 47% going no less once and 23% going even more than once within the last 2 years.
28% of them reported that they had gone to a retail healthcare clinic, which is a same-day office most commonly located in a strip mall, business location, or vehicle.
The poll found that three-quarters of seniors (75%) are likely to return to alternative clinics within two years, and they mentioned this.
Similarly, 43% of subjects said they would visit them in the next two years if they had not received care at an alternative clinic earlier.
Regardless of this, the majority of the senior adults with a primary care physician indicated that they like the standard of care and the feeling of attachment at their primary care clinic.
Benefits of Primary Care Physicians
The findings of this poll are that 52% who went to an alternative clinic said the quality of care at their regular doctor was better, whereas 67% of them said they felt better about a connection with their primary care clinic doctor.
While this may be true for the other 43% of the respondents who specified that the clinic was more convenient compared to their normal provider.
“With the nationwide shortage of primary care providers, it’s important to understand how this age group, with generally higher medical needs, views and uses this type of care,” Kullgren added in a Michigan news release.
Avoiding Emergency Room Visits
44% of people who went to an alternative clinic mentioned avoiding the visit to an emergency room, while another 35% clarified that they had to get a vaccine, test, or a physical exam.
“Access to timely and convenient care was critical for older adults during the pandemic, and our research shows alternative care options will continue to be in demand for the long-term,” said Susan Reinhard, senior vice president and the director of AARP Public Policy Institute. The AARP participated in the new survey.