A new study has found that the walk-in-retail clinics which are staffed by the qualified nursing practitioners provide high-quality care for routine illnesses.

The author of this study Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a policy analyst at Rand Health, said that retail clinics which are found in drug stores such as Target and Wal-Mart provide a good standard of care for routine illnesses like sore throat and ear infections and urinary tract infections among others.

Retail clinics have become increasingly popular over the recent years because they are cost effective and convenient and cater to most routine medical problems. One such operation which was a part of the study is CVC's MinuteClinic where minor injuries and illnesses are treated and vaccinations and other wellness services are provided.

Most of these visits take just 10 minutes and one-third of Americans live at a 10-minutes drive away distance to these clinics. As many as 6,000 more of these clinics are likely to open in the U. S. Within the next five years. Patients who have been treated in these clinics have given a positive feedback.

The study involved analyzing the information available with the insurance companies for medical claims between 2005 and 2006 in the state of Minnesota.

The researchers found that the procedures followed by these clinics were consistent with the accepted medical guidelines for those ailments including the frequency and type of lab tests performed and drugs prescribed.

Dr. Mehrotra however says that his study had limitations because he analysed data only from one state. It only looked mostly at young and insured female patients who were affluent and healthy and only focused on three diagnoses.