Practice Management
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being talked at about antibiotic stewardship. We all realize it’s a problem. And though it’s common practice to blame urgent care providers for the situation, we aren’t uniquely culpable for antibiotic overuse. To anyone paying attention, it’s clear that antibiotic overprescribing in urgent care remains as rampant as crime in Gotham City. And the topic has become exhausting for UC providers, not because we believe it …
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Urgent message: Mistaking medical symptoms for psychiatric disease can delay care and lead to adverse outcomes. Elizabeth Yeager-Cordial, MD; Janell Ison, DO; Robert Becker, MD; Courtney Boyd, MD; and Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: Yeager-Cordial E, Ison J, Becker R, Boyd C, Weinstock M. Psychiatric manifestations of organic disease: don’t get fooled! J Urgent Care Med. 2022;16(11):11-15. CASE PRESENTATION A 23-year-old man presented with a strange complaint: visual hallucinations. He had no psychiatric history and was …
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Urgent message: The angle of the mandible is one of the most common locations among bilateral mandibular fractures. Bilateral mandibular angle fractures are a rare traumatic event and often occur in the setting of panfacial fractures due to an impacting force. Chad E. Richmond, DO, DAOBFP; Leonard Powell, DO, MS, FACOFP, CMD; Keith S. Richmond, DMD, MDS. INTRODUCTION The mandibular angle is a weak zone that is more exposed to fractures than other areas of …
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Vapocoolant and Digital Nerve Blocks Dosing Dexamethasone in Pediatric Asthma Infant Clean-Catch Urine Contamination Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in Children Treating Acute Diverticulitis Torus Wrist Fractures in Children Efficacy of Antiviral Treatment in COVID-19 Vapocoolant for Pain Reduction in Digital Nerve Blocks Take-home point: Application of vapocoolant prior to digital nerve blocking can reduce pain associated with skin puncture and local anesthetic infiltration. Citation: Selvi F, Bedel C, Akçimen M. Evaluation of vapocoolant spray effect on pain …
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Urgent message: Influenza types A and B have demonstrated a pattern that increases patient volumes in urgent care centers during “flu season.” But the COVID-19 virus, including its different variants, continues to have different patterns throughout multiple waves and has shown to overcome/oppress other predictable viruses. Cesar Mora Jaramillo, MD, FAAFP, FCUCM Citation: Jaramillo CM. SARS-CoV-2 and influenza type A/B Infection rates: a report of a federal qualified health care center-urgent care department during Omicron …
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A mother brought her 4-week-old daughter to the doctor concerned about a vesicular rash that developed on the girl’s back within the last day. On examination, tiny vesicles in a primarily truncal distribution were seen. The patient had no systemic symptoms and appeared well. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.
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Urgent message: Industry perception is that urgent care offers the opportunity for potentially substantial cost savings while also providing safe, effective care for complaints of appropriate acuity. Data supporting those claims have been lacking, however. Lo Fu Tan, MD, MS, FCFP, FAAFP and Jillian Kreston, MBA, MEcon Citation: Tan L F, Kreston J. Cost-effective ambulatory care for emergency department avoidance. J Urgent Care Med. 2022;16(10):25-32. BACKGROUND A 2019 brief published by the United Health Group …
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Urgent message: Though data are limited and approaches to burn blister management remain controversial (eg, leaving blisters intact vs deroofing or aspirating), appropriate initial care in the urgent care setting is both feasible and advisable and can reduce risk for infection and scarring. Muhammad Zeeshan Ahmed MBBS, FRNZCUC, Winston McEwan FRACS, and Sana Maqsood MPhil, Cert PH Citation: Ahmed MZ, McEwan W, Maqsood S. Management of burn blisters in urgent care. J Urgent Care Med. …
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Urgent message: Use of a finger tourniquet can ensure a bloodless field when performing laceration repair to fingers and toes, thereby reducing risk for damage to underlying vital structures and increasing the prospects for positive outcomes. Patrick O’Malley, MD After repairing scores of finger lacerations over the years, I have learned there are a few essential supplies required for these cases; the most critical among them, however, is the finger tourniquet. This simple device makes …
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Urgent message: Remain diligent in the evaluation of headache; though often a benign condition, the possibility for severe morbidity and mortality warrants careful evaluation of subtle aspects within the history and/or physical exam. INTRODUCTION Headache is one of the most common complaints in the urgent care setting, yet also one that can be daunting for a provider. While there are many benign causes, such as a migraine or tension headache, the potential for an emergent …
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