Urgent care centers are equipped to manage a variety of common injuries, including burns. While these facilities can provide effective care for many burn injuries, the decision to visit one depends highly on the burn’s severity and specific characteristics. For minor burns, urgent care centers serve as an appropriate and convenient option for professional medical attention and wound care. However, any burn that is deep, covers a large area, or involves sensitive body parts requires immediate evaluation at an emergency room or specialized burn center.
Classifying Burns: What Urgent Care Can Treat
Burns are classified by depth, which determines the amount of skin damage. Urgent care is best suited to handle superficial burns and minor partial-thickness burns. Superficial burns, formerly known as first-degree burns, only affect the epidermis, the skin’s outermost layer. These injuries appear red, are painful, and blanch, or turn white, when light pressure is applied, similar to a common sunburn. They usually heal completely within a few days without scarring.
Minor partial-thickness burns, previously called second-degree burns, are slightly deeper, damaging both the epidermis and a portion of the dermis layer underneath. These burns are characterized by significant redness, swelling, and the formation of fluid-filled blisters. They are often extremely painful due to exposed nerve endings. Urgent care can safely manage these injuries if they are small, generally defined as covering less than 10% of the total body surface area (TBSA) in adults or less than 5% in children. If the partial-thickness burn is smaller than the size of the patient’s palm, it is likely manageable in an outpatient setting.
Mandatory Emergency Room Criteria
Any burn exceeding the definition of a minor injury must bypass urgent care and be treated immediately at an emergency room or a verified burn center. This includes all full-thickness burns, also known as third-degree burns, which destroy the epidermis and dermis, extending into the subcutaneous tissue or even deeper. Full-thickness burns often appear charred, waxy white, leathery, or blackened. Paradoxically, they may cause little pain because the nerve endings have been destroyed.
Burns covering a large surface area, typically partial-thickness burns greater than 10% TBSA in adults, require emergency care. Location is another defining factor, as any burn involving the face, hands, feet, genitalia, perineum, or major joints requires specialized care due to the high risk of functional impairment or disfigurement. Furthermore, all electrical burns, chemical burns, and burns accompanied by signs of inhalation injury, such as soot in the nose or mouth, must be evaluated in an emergency setting. These injuries often have hidden damage or systemic effects that an urgent care center is not equipped to handle.
Urgent Care Burn Treatment Procedures
When a patient presents to urgent care with a minor burn, the provider first conducts a thorough assessment of the depth, size, and cause of the injury. Once the burn is confirmed to be superficial or a minor partial-thickness injury, the focus shifts to wound care and infection prevention. The clinician will gently clean the wound, often using sterile techniques to remove any loose debris or dead skin.
Following cleaning, the burn is typically dressed with a non-adherent material and a topical antimicrobial agent, such as an antibiotic ointment, to create a barrier against infection. Specialized, non-stick bandages are used to protect the area and promote a moist environment conducive to healing. Pain management is addressed with over-the-counter or prescription-strength analgesics. Patients are then given instructions on how to care for the burn at home, including when to change the dressing and what signs of infection should prompt a follow-up visit.