Practice Management
A 42-year-old woman with widespread scaly lesions presents to urgent care. On exam, the provider noted superficial crusts and exfoliative plaques seen on the face, neck, and chest. The patient reported that the lesions were painful, but she had no systemic symptoms and felt fine otherwise. The rash emerged a couple of months prior. The patient had no recent history of travel or infections and was not currently on any medications. The urgent care took …
Read More
Urgent Message: Across a tristate urgent care and convenient care network, systemic steroid use occurred in nearly one-sixth of encounters (15.5%)—72.5% for likely avoidable indications and 66% for acute respiratory infections. The finding highlights the need to establish systemic steroid metrics to drive stewardship efforts. Paul Hansen, MD; Yang Wang, PhD; Muhammad Naseer, MD Abstract Background: The College of Urgent Care Medicine released a position statement advocating for corticosteroid stewardship best practices in 2022, …
Read More
Urgent Message: Though atraumatic neck pain is a common condition in the urgent care setting, spinal epidural abscess is relatively uncommon and may present without classic symptoms, which makes it a challenging diagnosis to make. Early recognition, timely imaging, and thorough documentation are essential to prevent a devastating outcome and to mitigate medicolegal risk. Key Words: Neck Pain, Spinal Infection, Cervical Epidural Abscess, Spinal Epidural Abscess, Medicolegal Risk, Anchoring Bias Eileen Chu, MD, MS; Lucille …
Read More
Urgent Message: While acute gastroenteritis is typically self-limiting, inappropriate or excessive use of over-the-counter antimotility agents like loperamide can lead to serious complications—such as bowel obstruction or ileus—highlighting the critical need for patient education on safe medication use. Badi Eghterafi, DO; Nazanin Hazhir Karzar, MD Key Words: Gastroenteritis, Over The Counter Medications, Loperamide, Case Report, Bowel Obstruction Abstract Introduction: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common condition characterized by rapid-onset diarrhea, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, …
Read More
Casting Rather Than Surgery for Medial Epicondyle Fractures in Children Take Home Point: In this randomized trial, treatment for pediatric displaced medial epicondyle fractures with casting alone was noninferior to the traditional surgical fixation and casting at the12-month follow-up period. Citation: Grahn P, Helenius I, Hämäläinen T, et. al. Casting vs Surgical Treatment of Children With Medial Epicondyle Fractures: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 May 1;8(5):e258479. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.8479. Relevance: Medial humeral epicondyle …
Read More
Urgent Message: Shortness of breath presentations for postpartum patients in urgent care should prompt consideration of venous thromboembolism or peripartum cardiomyopathy, or more benign conditions like deconditioning, bronchitis, or anxiety. Alexa Bailey, DO; Lauren Kostandaras, DO; Hannah Poorman, BS; Michael Weinstock, MD; Catherine Neal, DO. Key Words: Shortness Of Breath, Postpartum, Venous Thromboembolism, VTE, Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVT, Pulmonary Embolism, PE, Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Editor’s Note: The patient case scenario is hypothetical. Abstract Background: The postpartum …
Read More
It is an absolute honor and pleasure to serve as the new Editor In Chief of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine (JUCM). To begin, I want to thank Joshua Russell, MD, for his incredible work with the journal over the last 5 years. His effort, dedication, and endless hard work have forever changed the direction of JUCM and shaped its future. It is my sincere hope to continue his impactful work by publishing meaningful …
Read More
A 42-year-old man presents to urgent care on a Sunday afternoon. He explains that he was playing a game of pick-up football in his neighborhood and suffered a rough kick to the face from another player. His nose is swollen, and he’s clearly in pain. An x-ray is ordered to capture a lateral view of the nasal bones. Review the image and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case …
Read More
A 56-year-old female with no past medical history presents to urgent care with 2 episodes of chest pain that woke her up this morning. She had 2 additional episodes while walking and while bathing earlier in the day. The episodes lasted about 10 minutes each, and she is currently free from chest pain. The pain is pressure-like and left-sided, radiating to her back. An ECG is obtained. View the ECG and consider what your diagnosis …
Read More
A 3-week-old girl presents to urgent care with widespread scaly skin. On physical examination, her vital signs are normal. She is noted to have ectropion and large, thick, plate-like scales covering most of her body. The patient had a personal history of prematurity and collodion membrane at birth. There is no family history of dermatological or genetic disorders. View the image below and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of …
Read More