There are countless physicians and healthcare professionals like Dr Dushyant Singh who have talked about the hospital emergency rooms and how important they are to be reserved for dire emergencies only. This is not only to reduce the stress levels of the hospital healthcare workers, but also to allow Physicians and emergency workers to be able to focus on the direst circumstances as they arrive on the scene.
Dr Dushyant Singh is one of the primary doctors of Urgent Care Brisbane, the antidote to hospital waiting rooms. His experience extends back to his home country of India where he worked in some of the busiest emergency departments in the country – so he knows what he’s talking about. He took time to answer a few questions about the services offered at Urgent Care Brisbane and offered some advice on determining the right situation for an emergency room visit.
Hello Dr Dushyant, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions, let’s start with you telling us what is urgent care and why there is a need for Urgent Care in Brisbane?
Urgent care provides immediate care for non-life-threatening medical emergencies that will be classed as low acuity in emergency departments but still needs to be seen immediately.
Emergency departments in Brisbane are under significant pressure. It can take hours to receive the help you need, especially for minor injuries, burns, scrapes, and other non-life-threatening conditions.
Forty-seven per cent of emergency department visits – nearly 4 million visits in Australia in 2020-21 – were classified by as either semi-urgent or non-urgent. Nurses and doctors could have treated these patients outside of a hospital.
The emergency departments must be able to focus on severe and life-threatening emergencies. Others who require care should also have access to options not covered by the hospital system.
Families require more options to access affordable care in a short time frame. Too often, when you search for GP near me or after hour GP, appointments don’t exist, and they may lack resources to investigate your urgent health care need properly, and the hospital is the only choice.
Urgent Care Brisbane will relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments in Brisbane and help save precious hospital resources.
What services does urgent care Brisbane provides?
Our services are listed in detail on our website www.urgentcarebne.com.au.
We are experts in providing immediate medical care by emergency nurses and doctors. We can avoid low acuity patients spending hours in emergency department waiting room.
Services we provide, immediate consultation with emergency doctors and general practitioners with emergency skills.
- Urgent investigations – blood test
- Urgent Radiology – CT scan and X-rays on site
- Sporting injuries of all types can be managed.
- Intravenous therapy – If fluids, IV antibiotics.
- Urgent referrals
- Virtual Urgent care – Telehealth
Do I need an Appointment or referral?
No appointments or referrals are needed for receiving care at urgent care, we are open long hours open from 10 am to 8 pm, seven days a week and from next month we will be open from 10 am to 10pm.
When should I visit Urgent care Brisbane?
If an injury or illness occurs that is not life-threatening but requires immediate attention.
Your first point of contact for any primary care emergency is your GP clinic or any walk in GP clinic you can go.
Urgent care Brisbane offers immediate care, including treatment for minor falls/trips. Complex lacerations, closed fractures, and all sporting injuries. Infections, atypical chest pains, shortness of breath, vomiting & diarrhea, Migraines and headaches, mild asthma, for further details please call out highly experienced triage nurse.
When am I not suitable to come to urgent care Brisbane?
In cases of serious illness or injury such as unconsciousness, severe chest pain, major accidents, or need for major procedures, please dial 000 or visit your nearest Emergency Department.
We do not replace your GP. Paperwork, driver’s license medical. We will not be managing your long-term medical issues, such as chronic conditions, medication management and monitoring.
What procedure are you able to do at urgent care Brisbane?
After assessment by our medical team, when needed we can provide the following procedures
- Intravenous fluid therapy
- Intravenous antibiotics
- Suturing of lacerations
- Plastering of fractures and closed reductions
- Aspirations of abscess
- Nebulizers for asthma and COPD
- Pain relief for acute severe pain
- Foreign body removal from eyes, ears, nose soft tissue
- Dressings and wound management
- Minor burns dressing
- Acute eye complaint assessment
Do you manage fractures?
Yes, we can manage all closed fractures and close reductions on displaced fractures. Most common fractures are
- Wrist Fractures
- Scaphoid Fractures
- Radius & Ulna Fractures
- Finger Fractures
- Metacarpal Fractures
- Elbow Fractures
- Clavicle & Shoulder Fractures
- Ankle and Foot Fractures
- Un-Displaced Knee Fractures
For all compound fractures, patient must go to the nearest emergency department.
As part of fracture management, we supply moon boots, crutches, knee immobilizers, and wrist braces. There are fees for these consumables.
We have radiology onsite seven days a week, 10 am to 7 pm, CT scans and X-rays.
After the initial management of your fracture, we will arrange to follow up with a public or private fracture clinic.
I see you also provide infusion services at urgent care, please talk more about it.
At urgent care we provide infusion clinic services
- Iron infusion for Iron deficiency anemia
- Zoledronic acid Infusions for Osteoporosis
A referral is preferable. But if patients don’t have one and are concerned about iron deficiency anaemia, you can visit Urgent Care Brisbane and be seen by our medical team for assessment and blood tests. Based on the blood result, an iron infusion can be planned.
What do I need to do if I need iron infusion?
The out-of-pocket cost of iron infusion is $150 for patients with Medicare and $230 for patients without Medicare. The cost of the script is not included.
You will need to bring most recent blood tests, including complete blood count and iron studies, are not older than one month.
Total duration of infusion can be 40 min from registration to discharge.
Is there any risk?
Iron infusions can be administered safely. Mild flu-like symptoms may occur in one in ten patients. These include headaches, joint or muscle pain, fever, and muscle or joint pain. It is possible to feel sick or nauseous. This may occur within a few days of the infusion and resolves with Panadol/Nurofen. There are rare cases of staining from iron infusion, and this can be permanent. There is risk of anaphylaxis, and this is the reason iron infusion is done in a centre where anaphylaxis can be managed.
Any message for the people in Brisbane
You don’t have to visit emergency department again for non-life-threatening medical condition and wait for seeking emergency medical care.
Thank you Dr Dushyant Singh for your time!