Urgent care centres are expanding within high-income metropolitan healthcare systems as an accessible option for non-life-threatening conditions. Understanding their service scope, patient profiles, and system impacts is critical to informing policy and care delivery. A scoping review was conducted using the JBI methodology. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were searched up to September 2025. Studies published in English between 1970 and 2025 were included. Two independent reviewers screened all citations, and data were extracted using a standardised template covering patient demographics, service characteristics, and health system outcomes. Twenty-two studies were included, mostly from the United States. Urgent care centres primarily served younger adults, especially women, presenting with minor injuries, infections, and musculoskeletal conditions. Services were disproportionately located in higher-income metropolitan areas. Staffing models ranged from physician-only to multidisciplinary teams, and workforce reporting outside North American studies was limited. Some evidence suggests that reductions in low-acuity emergency department visits occurred when urgent care centres were located near hospitals, although overall effects on emergency department and primary care utilisation were mixed. UCCs reduce per-visit costs, but total system expenditure may increase due to induced demand. Where reported, patient outcomes and satisfaction were generally favourable. Urgent care centres offer value in managing acute, non-emergent care but require policy alignment in workforce, funding, and integration to maximise impact.
Carter et al. (Wed,) studied this question.