Urgent Care Centres: A Scan of Models of Care and Literature on Their Effectiveness

Key Messages

What is the Issue?

• Urgent care centres (UCCs) are medical clinics that provide same-day urgent treatment for non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries. The level of services they can provide is more comprehensive than primary care walk-in clinics but less comprehensive than emergency departments (EDs).
• In Canada, many people do not have timely access to primary care services, and EDs face overcrowding, which results in long wait times and patients leaving without being seen.
• UCCs may fill a gap between primary care and emergency services; however, there is no single definition or specified model for these clinics. There is a need for detailed information about the range and scope of UCCs operating across Canada.

What Did We Do?

• We surveyed health care and administrative professionals about the characteristics and their experiences of UCCs in Canadian jurisdictions.
• We searched key resources, including journal citation databases, and conducted a focused internet search for relevant evidence published since 2015, to examine the effectiveness of UCCs in Canada or countries with similar health care systems.

What Did We Find?

• We received 17 complete survey responses from 7 jurisdictions in Canada. Based on the responses, we found that UCCs vary in their structural and operational components. UCCs typically offer services such as diagnosis and treatment, X-rays, stitches, and lab tests. They are staffed by emergency and family physicians, nurses, allied health care professionals, and administrative staff. Some UCCs operate 24 hours a day, while others have limited hours. The most commonly identified barriers to operating UCCs include staffing and funding. Benefits of these centres were reported to include better access to care and potential relief of some of the burden on EDs.
• We identified 6 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Two articles examined UCCs dedicated to cancer-related concerns, and 4 articles examined general UCCs. The authors’ conclusions about the effectiveness of UCCs were mixed.

What Does This Mean?

• The findings of this report can be used as guidance to policy- and decision-makers across Canada who may be in the process of, or considering, implementing UCCs. The findings provide examples of structural and operational components that may suit the needs and contexts of their respective jurisdictions as well as considerations that may help inform implementation.