Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Clinical Review of Current Best Practices for Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent Message: Patients may present with needs surrounding tuberculosis (TB) screening, testing, and treatment to urgent care centers. There is considerable nuance in the approach to these scenarios with consequences for both patient and public health. Urgent care centers should develop clear guidelines for ensuring clinicians select the appropriate TB test for each patient and interpret the results accurately. Erin Loo, PA-C; Lindsey E. Fish, MD Citation: Loo E, Fish LE. Clinical Review of Current …

Looking Beyond the Mouth–A Rare Case of Acute Glaucoma Presenting with Dental Pain: A Case Report

Urgent Message: Acute angle closure glaucoma can present with a variety of types of head and facial pain. Rapid identification of concern for elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) or confirmation of elevated IOP by tonometry is critical for preserving vision. Mackenzie Brown, MD; Joshua W. Russell, MD, MSc, ELS, FCUCM, FACEP; Alexander Branson, MD Citation: Brown M, Russell JW, Branson A. Looking Beyond the Mouth–A Rare Case of Acute Glaucoma Presenting with Dental Pain: A Case …

16-Year-Old With Hip Pain

A 16-year-old female presents to urgent care with her mother after soccer practice at school. She says she felt a “pop” in her left hip, immediately followed by posterior hip pain. Walking makes it worse, but resting makes the pain better. An x-ray is ordered. Review the image and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

74-Year-Old With Lightheadedness

A 74-year-old woman presents to urgent care with epistaxis, controlled on arrival. She is also complaining of lightheadedness and fatigue that’s been going on for the past 2 weeks. View the ECG captured above and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

65-Year-Old With Finger Growth

A 65-year-old woman presents to urgent care complaining of a growth that developed on her finger 2 months prior. She says it’s not painful or itchy and has not grown since she first noticed it. On examination, a solitary, smooth, pinkish papule with a tiny central crust is seen on her distal interphalangeal joint on her left index finger. The patient has a history of osteoarthritis. View the image below and consider what your diagnosis …

Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations

Urgent Message: The vast majority of shoulder dislocations are anterior, occurring when stress is applied to an externally rotated and abducted shoulder. In most cases, immediate reduction is indicated, and urgent care clinicians should be familiar with situations that call for emergency department referral. Jennifer Hicks, DO; Matthew B. Baird, MD Citation: Hicks J, Baird MB. Urgent Care Assessment and Management of Shoulder Dislocations. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(5):9-15 Questions for the Clinician at …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – February 2025

Concussion Recovery in Young Children Take Home Point: This study suggests that children aged 5-12 years old with concussion have similar trajectories of recovery regardless of mechanism of injury. Citation: Ledoux A, Sicard V, Bijelic V, et. all. Symptom Recovery in Children Aged 5 to 12 Years With Sport-Related and Non–Sport-Related Concussion. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Dec 2;7(12): e2448797. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48797. Relevance: More knowledge about the natural history of concussion in children can help …

A 2-Year-Old Girl With Respiratory Distress And Altered Mental Status: A Case Report

Urgent Message: While children presenting to urgent care centers usually have minor illnesses, attentiveness to vital signs and behavior is crucial to avoid missing rare but serious diagnoses. Diabetic ketoacidosis is the most common initial presentation of type 1 diabetes mellitus in young children. Capillary blood glucose measurement is a universally available screening tool that should be used liberally in ill-appearing children with alterations in level of consciousness. Ramiro Rodriguez, MD; Samantha Reis, MSN, FNP-BC, …

Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture

Urgent Message: Rib fractures most commonly occur after blunt chest injury. Consider serious associated injuries such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary contusion when assessing patients with suspected rib fractures. Ensuring appropriate analgesia is critical for reducing the risk of complications. Dustin M. Nelson, BS; Shering Torres, MAS, MD; Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Nelson DM, Torres S, Weinstock M. Urgent Care Considerations for the Patient with Suspected Rib Fracture. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(4): 13-21 …

Uncovering the Unexpected: A Case of Chronic Cough in an Adolescent with an Unusual Etiology

Urgent Message: Chronic cough has a distinct differential diagnosis in different age groups. A cough lasting longer than 4 weeks in children and adolescents should prompt revision of the differential diagnosis to reduce delays in diagnosing serious etiologies. Daniel Moscato, MS, PA-C; Joshua W. Russell, MD Citation: Moscato D, Russell JW. Uncovering the Unexpected: A Case of Chronic Cough in an Adolescent with an Unusual Etiology. J Urgent Care Med. 2025; 19(4)23-26. Key words: Pediatrics, …

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