Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Abstracts in Urgent Care – June 2023

Click Here to download the article PDF Ivan Koay MBChB, MRCS, FRNZCUC, MD Immersive Virtual Reality Use in Reducing Pediatric Procedural Anxiety Take-home point: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) use in pediatric patients significantly improved pain and anxiety compared with the control group. Citation: Wong C, Choi K. Effects of an immersive virtual reality intervention on pain and anxiety among pediatric patients undergoing venipuncture: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(2):e230001. Relevance: Poorly managed procedural …

Assessing Urgent Care Clinics’ Readiness to Manage a Lip Laceration

Click Here to download the PDF. Urgent message: Lacerations are a common reason for patients to present to urgent care. Data suggest not all providers are comfortable managing lacerations, however. Clinicians who need additional training should be afforded such in order to reduce acuity degradation and unnecessary referrals to the emergency room. David T. Ford, MD; Patrick M. O’Malley, MD; and Brantley Dick, MD Citation: Ford DT, O’Malley PM, Dick B. Assessing Urgent Care Clinics’ …

A 69-Year-Old Male with Left-Sided Chest Pain and Dyspnea for 3 Days

Click Here to download the PDF. Figure 1: Initial ECG (Case presented by Benjamin Cooper, MD, MEd, FACEP, Department of Emergency Medicine, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.)

A 46-Year-Old with Evolving Sores on Her Hand and Arm

Click Here to download the PDF. A 46-year-old female presents with an evolving eruption that developed on her right hand and spread to her forearm over the past several weeks. She is an immunocompetent commercial landscaper who lives in Brazil, and she does not recall any specific injury. She is regularly exposed to toxic plants and sustains minor scratches and cuts at work. She also suspects that she could have experienced bug bites. She appears …

A 40-Year-Old with Swelling After a Direct Blow to the Eye

A 40-year-old male presents with pain and swelling in his right eye after being struck by a foul ball while coaching his daughter’s softball game. View the images taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

Back Pain, an Urgent Care Visit—and a Devastating Outcome

Click Here to download the PDF Urgent message: By the time an adverse outcome occurs in the urgent care center, it’s too late to go back and ensure the documentation reflects the care the patient received. Lyndsie Pfeifer, DO; Marta Fratczak, Kinkela Harkins, and Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Pfeifer L, Fratczak M, Harkins K, Weinstock M. Back pain, an urgent care visit—and a devastating outcome. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;17(8):13-17. Key words: back pain, documentation …

No Butts About it: Approaching Anorectal Abscesses in the Urgent Care Center

Click Here to Download the PDF Urgent message: Given the high rate of systemic involvement in patients with anorectal abscess, it is essential for urgent care providers to identify patients with risk factors and, when indicated, ensure those patients receive incision and drainage and appropriate follow-up care. Cameron W. Galbreath, MSN, FNP-C and Christina Gardner, DHSc, MBA, PA-C Citation: Galbreath C, Gardner C. No butts about it: approaching anorectal abscesses in the urgent care center. …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – May 2023

Click Here to download the PDF Does My Patient Have a Testicular Torsion? Take-home point: Symptoms most suggestive for testicular torsion (TT) are adolescent/pubertal age, palpated hard testicle, and the presence of nausea and vomiting associated with acute scrotal pain. Citation: Lukosiute-Urboniene A, Nekrosius D, Dekeryte I, et al. Clinical risk factors for testicular torsion and a warning against falsely reassuring ultrasound scans: a 10-year single-centre experience. Emerg Med J. 2023;40:134–139. Relevance: As symptoms of TT …

It’s Time to Think Differently about Follow-up

Click Here to download the PDF In the macro and “dot phrase” era, there are many refrains that appear in the electronic medical record (EMR) with such regularity that we don’t even notice them anymore. Statements like All questions were answered prior to discharge, The patient verbalizes understanding and is comfortable with the plan, and Symptomatic care and over-the-counter treatments discussed are so commonly tacked onto charts that our eyes have been trained to gloss …

A 61-Year-Old Female with History of Hypertension and New Palpitations and Shortness of Breath

A 61-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension presents to urgent care with palpitations and shortness of breath for 3 days. She also reports cough and fever, and denies nausea or vomiting. View the initial ECG taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.