OTC Topical Pain Relivers Poses Burn Risk Key point: Over-the-counter topical muscle and joint pain relivers containing capsaicin, methyl salicylate, or menthol (e.g., Bengay, Icy Hot) may cause serious chemical burns. Citation: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm319353.htm A review of two adverse drug event databases, as well as the medical literature, found 43 reports of burns linked to these products. Those containing menthol were the most likely to cause second- and third-degree burns. The FDA advises clinicians to warn …
Read More‘Why Can’t We All Get Along?’
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP It’s not often you get to quote the late Rodney King, but there it is. Mr. King’s quote was made famous during the Los Angeles riots, which were arguably incited by the acquittal of the police officers accused of excessive force during Mr. King’s arrest. In 1860, a book review on medico-legal jurisprudence argued that “law and medicine had evolved into mutually incompatible professions.”1 One hundred and sixty-two years …
Read MoreClinical Challenge: December, 2012
In each issue, JUCM will challenge your diagnostic acumen with a glimpse of x-rays, electrocardiograms, and photographs of dermatologic conditions that real urgent care patients have presented with. If you would like to submit a case for consideration, please email the relevant materials and presenting information to [email protected]. The patient, an 8-year-old male, presented with a cough and fever. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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Making the Most of Locum Tenens in Your Urgent Care
Urgent message: Despite the best staff planning, urgent care centers sometimes need to turn to locum tenens firms to fill the “bench.” Understanding the challenges these firms face is one key to success. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc, Experity Regardless of how aesthetically pleasing an urgent care facility, how convenient its hours, how creative its marketing, or how sophisticated its technology, the ultimate “product” is its clinicians and the solutions they provide for patients’ immediate …
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December 2012
The Hidden Costs of the Professional Liability Crisis
As we head into a new year at JUCM, our tenth, it is a natural time to reflect on our journal’s history and our goals for the future. Just being able to celebrate a 10th anniversary is nothing short of a miracle. Medical publishing has been in transition for some time, and the number of traditional journals is decreasing. Information, even complex clinical information, is now available with the click of a button. Considering the …
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An Old Condition Presents New Challenges
Urgent message: Acute rheumatic fever is not common but it does still occur, underscoring the need for head-to-toe examination in patients with vague symptoms that seem unconnected. HEATHER VARLEY, PA-C, and WILLIAM GLUCKMAN, DO, MBA, FACEP Introduction Patients with fever, sore throat, and malaise often present in the urgent care setting and they typically are worked up quickly with a rapid strep test or given a diagnosis of a viral syndrome. The case described here …
Read MoreEvaluation and Management of Pain (Part 1): Acute Pain
Urgent message: Urgent care providers have a clinical, legal, and moral obligation to provide appropriate treatment for patients with pain. The first article in a two-part series addresses strategies for managing acute pain. TRACEY Q. DAVIDOFF, MD The interpretation of pain by patients is very subjective and not easily measured. That makes management of pain in the urgent care setting difficult. Current pain scales are often inaccurate or not truly reflective of a patient’s real …
Read MoreClinical Challenge 2: November, 2012
The patient, an 87-year-old woman, presented with a circular and pruritic rash that had been present on her right shin for 3 days. She had no fever. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page. >
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42-year-old man complained of new lesions following a business trip
A 42-year-old man complained of new lesions following a business trip. He noticed that the lesions all appeared in the morning, just before he returned from his trip. The lesions itched. On exam there were multiple round, red, minimally elevated papules, all of a uniform shape. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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