Pneumonia

We diagnose pneumonia through a combination of clinical evaluation and on-site chest X-ray imaging. Our medical providers perform a thorough physical examination, assess your symptoms and medical history, check your oxygen levels with pulse oximetry, and review digital X-ray images to confirm lung infection. This comprehensive approach allows us to distinguish pneumonia from other respiratory conditions like bronchitis or severe cold, ensuring you receive appropriate treatment.

Most cases of pneumonia can be effectively treated at urgent care with oral antibiotics and supportive care. We treat patients who are stable, able to maintain adequate oxygen levels, and can take medications by mouth. However, we'll recommend hospital evaluation if you show signs of severe pneumonia including very low oxygen levels, extreme difficulty breathing, altered mental status, or inability to keep down fluids. Our medical providers assess severity during your visit to determine the safest treatment setting.

No appointment is necessary. We welcome walk-ins daily from 8am to 8pm at both our Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart locations. Given that pneumonia requires prompt diagnosis and treatment, we prioritize respiratory cases to minimize your wait time and get you started on appropriate therapy as quickly as possible.

Please bring your photo ID, insurance card, a list of current medications and allergies, and any recent medical records if available. If you have a history of lung disease, previous pneumonia, or other chronic conditions, this information helps our medical providers create the safest, most effective treatment plan for your specific situation.

If our evaluation confirms bacterial pneumonia, our medical providers will prescribe appropriate antibiotics based on current medical guidelines and your individual health factors. The prescription will be sent electronically to your preferred pharmacy. However, not all pneumonia is bacterial - viral pneumonia doesn't respond to antibiotics and requires supportive care. Our diagnostic approach, including X-ray imaging and clinical assessment, helps determine the most appropriate treatment.

According to CDC guidelines, most patients begin feeling improvement within 3-5 days of starting appropriate antibiotic therapy for bacterial pneumonia. However, it's crucial to complete the entire antibiotic course even if you feel better, as stopping early can lead to antibiotic resistance and infection recurrence. Full recovery typically takes 1-3 weeks, with fatigue potentially lasting longer. We provide detailed recovery timelines and warning signs during your visit.

Seek emergency care immediately if you experience severe difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion or altered mental status, bluish lips or fingernails, coughing up large amounts of blood, or inability to keep down any fluids. These symptoms may indicate severe pneumonia requiring hospital-level care. For typical pneumonia symptoms like cough, fever, and moderate shortness of breath, urgent care is appropriate and provides faster access to diagnosis and treatment than emergency rooms.

According to the CDC, pneumonia prevention includes vaccination (pneumococcal vaccines and annual flu shots), good hand hygiene, not smoking, maintaining overall health, and managing chronic conditions. We can discuss your vaccination status during your visit and provide recommendations based on your age and health factors. While vaccines don't prevent all pneumonia cases, they significantly reduce risk of severe disease, especially in high-risk populations including adults over 65, young children, and those with chronic health conditions.