Yes, if you’re positive that you have a relatively minor problem – like a sore throat, ear ache or bladder infection – and if you follow some common sense guidelines from physician groups such as the American Medical Association (www.ama-assn.org), the American Academy of Family Physicians (www.aafp.org) and the American Geriatrics Society (www.american geriatrics.org ).

These little clinics are springing up all over – though more slowly in New England – with names like Take Care Health Centers, MinuteClinic, RediClinic, MiniMedCare and the like. They offer quick diagnoses and treatment for simple problems and often have ties to nearby drug stores. They’re typically staffed by nurse practitioners.

Some clinics can do simple blood tests, but they usually do not have X-ray machines. Do NOT use one of these clinics if you have new major symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or leg swelling (a possible sign of a blood clot in the leg or heart failure) or if there is a change in a longstanding medical problem for which you’re already seeing a regular doctor.

“Retail clinics are probably a good option for certain types of health care problems,” said Dr. Jane Potter [cq], president of the American Geriatrics Society. “But this is not a substitute, for people with chronic health conditions, for seeing a doctor.

Dr. Lawrence Earl, president of MiniMedCare, a convenience care provider based in Chester, N.J., which will open its first clinic this spring, said services are limited to minor problems like bladder infections, ear aches and sore throats. Mini clinics do not treat broken bones or do X rays and can only do the simplest blood tests. Often the clinics are located right next to pharmacies. “Pharmacies create the hosts,” he said. “We need only a small space and typical retail spaces available are too large,” he said. Some retail health shops take insurance and some don’t, with typical visits costing $50 to $60.

An article last week in the New England Journal of Medicine touted the potential benefits of retail health shops, including the observation that many patients seem quite able to diagnose the simple kind of problems that the clinics are designed to treat. Some doctors, however, worry about the lack of follow-up and the potential competition with their own practices.

My take on this? If you are extremely sure that all you have is a sore throat or bladder infection and have few serious health problems, try a retail health shop. But if you have any doubts about what ails you or if you have a complicated medical situation, see a real doc.