Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Campaign Increases Urgent Care Adherence to 5-Day Antibiotic Prescribing

In a quasi-experimental study involving 2 Denver Health urgent care centers, an antibiotic stewardship program known as the Take 5 Campaign increased the rates of adherence to a recommended 5-day antibiotic prescribing duration, according to a new study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. “Antibiotic stewardship in urgent care is critical,” says Lindsey E. Fish, MD, study author and Editor in Chief of JUCM. “While many programs focus on decreasing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, ensuring the …

Urgent Care Among Top Paid Specialties For PAs

According to a compensation survey analyzed by Beckers, physician assistants (PAs) in urgent care earn a median $154,355 in annual total cash compensation. In fact, urgent care is one of the top 10 highest paid specialties for PAs, although cardiovascular surgery claims the number 1 spot at $166,250 in annual compensation. For nurse practitioners (NPs), urgent care didn’t make the list of lucrative specialties, however, emergency medicine was ranked best for NPs at $155,556 in …

Smartwatch Launches With Hypertension Detection Feature

The seemingly ubiquitous Apple smartwatch now has another feature that could be useful in screening users for health conditions. In addition to its approved method for alerting users for possible atrial fibrillation, the latest version of the wearable device includes a tool to detect chronic hypertension, according to the company’s press release. The watch would display a heart-shaped symbol and a “possible hypertension” notification based on data from an optical heart sensor that analyzes how …

OTC Allergy Nasal Spray Could Protect Against COVID Infection: Phase 2 Study

A phase 2 clinical trial found that azelastine nasal spray could potentially prevent COVID-19 infections in healthy adults, as published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Among 450 study participants, SARS-CoV-2 infection as determined by polymerase chain reaction testing occurred in 2.2% of those using azelastine compared with 6.7% in the placebo group, representing a 67% relative risk reduction (odds ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.87). Symptomatic COVID-19 infections were also less frequent with azelastine (1.8% vs …

FDA Warns More Kids Are Getting Sick From Exposure To Nicotine Pouches

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning clinicians and parents about the potential health risks of nicotine pouches, especially those that do not have child-resistant packaging. Reports of accidental exposures to nicotine pouches have increased with some cases leading to nicotine poisoning, and according to FDA, children can experience toxic effects after exposure to as little as 1-4 milligrams of nicotine. Symptoms can include confusion, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. In a statement, the …

Urgent Care Increases HIV Testing: Study Intervention

By using an educational and EHR intervention, Intermountain Health significantly increased HIV co-testing for patient encounters involving testing for gonorrhea and/or chlamydia (GC/CT) in urgent care (UC) and emergency departments (ED). Urgent care HIV co-testing increased from 29% in the preintervention period to 39% during the 24-month intervention—from April 2023 through March 2024. Also, ED co-testing rates increased from 12% to 25% during the intervention as well. The analysis of 18,783 encounters published in Clinical …

Yet Another Reason To Eat A Decent Breakfast: Reduced Fracture Risk

On busy days, many people choose to skip breakfast in order to get out the door on time or similarly end up eating dinner late because they’re otherwise occupied. Turns out, those dietary habits could pose a risk for osteoporotic fracture, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The study of 927,130 Japanese adults, followed over 2.6 years, tracked 28,196 major fractures, with an incidence rate of 10.8 per 1,000 …

Wisconsin, Ohio Confirm New Measles Cases

In Wisconsin, health officials have confirmed several new measles cases, raising the state’s outbreak total to 24 as of September 2, 2025, with 2 people hospitalized (8.3%). All of the cases are in unvaccinated people, but no deaths have been confirmed. More than half of cases are among those aged 5-17 years; 33.3% are in those over age 18; and 12.5% are in those under age 5. Officials say the ongoing investigation indicates that measles …

Are Flu Shots A Worthwhile Business For The Upcoming Season?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted its recommendations for the 2025–2026 flu season, which are largely the same from years past. Among the key changes are: the approval of the FluMist nasal spray influenza vaccine for self-administration or caregiver administration; and the expansion of the approved age threshold for the Flublok vaccine from age 18 years or older to 9 years or older. Overall, the routine annual flu vaccine is recommended for …

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