‘Incidental’ Findings Still Require Action in the Urgent Care Center

One subject that tends to get overlooked in the ongoing fight against acuity degradation in the urgent care setting is incidental findings that require further investigation, treatment, or counseling. Whether a patient presents with lower back pain but is then found to have elevated blood pressure, or bloodwork run for a company physical reveals high cholesterol, they need help sooner rather than later. For all they know, they could have been living with (and incurring damage from) such conditions for years, especially if they suspended regular physicals during the COVID-19 pandemic. An article just published by the Journal of the American Medical Association can serve as a reminder that diabetes is another chronic condition that may sneak under the radar for too long. In fact, it points out that one out of three adults in the U.S. are likely prediabetic—and 10% of those individuals will progress to diabetes. Especially with lifestyle modifications shown to be more effective than metformin, according to the article, there’s no reason patients presenting to urgent care can’t get an immediate start on reducing their risk for diabetes-related complications. JUCM has published several article addressing diabetes in the urgent care setting. Two that will provide a solid foundation are Early Diabetes Screening in the Urgent Care and Diabetes Mellitus: Current Diagnosis, Screening, and Management Issues in Urgent Care.