In an average year, 35 states reporting “high” or “very high” levels of influenza would be concerning. In the 2022–23 flu season, with record levels of respiratory syncytial virus and new variants COVID-19 continuing to emerge, it’s downright alarming. That’s where we are, though, according to the latest Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is so dire in the Pacific Northwest that KOIN News invoked the …
Read MoreUpdate: Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Products Will Continue to Be in Short Supply
JUCM News reported nearly a month ago on a scarcity of oral presentations of amoxicillin and clavulanate. Now, as we enter the season of large gatherings in close quarters, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that 29 products from Aurobindo, Hikma, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, and Teva are all continuing to report shortages for undisclosed reasons. Resupply dates vary by supplier, but across the board fulfilment could happen anywhere from late November to early …
Read MoreThe Early Winter Forecast: Chilly with a Chance of COVID
As temperatures fall in much of the United States new hospitalizations for COVID-19 are expected to start climbing again, according to projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, as reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, a forecast from the Mayo Clinic says we can expect a steep but short-lived 51.5% increase in new cases between now and December 2. It seems likely, then, that urgent care centers will see an increase in patients …
Read MoreUpdated Guidelines Soften Stance on Opioids for Acute Pain. What Do They Mean for Urgent Care?
Updated guidelines for opioid prescribing draw a sharper distinction between prescribing for acute, subacute, and chronic pain than previous iterations—but with prescription drugs accountable for more overdose deaths than any other substance, the question of which urgent care patients should or should not be candidates for opioid prescriptions remains as essential as ever. As noted in an article published by Medpage Today, the new guidance promotes a greater degree of individualized care. They’re partly informed …
Read MoreUse of Pulse Oximeters Is Both Common and Essential—but Could Be Plagued by an Inherent Flaw
Viewed by many as “the fifth vital sign,” pulse oximetry is an essential reading in any number of presentations to urgent care. Now new investigations are amplifying a question many have had for years, though: Does the pulse oximeter work equally well with patients of all skin tones? The Food and Drug Administration says it’s going to look more closely at the matter, but in the meantime, according to an article published by Medpage Today, …
Read MoreMonkeypox Has Subsided. Now It’s Time to Watch for the Complications
An upsurge in cases of monkeypox earlier this year displaced mainstream media coverage of COVID-19—for a while, anyway. Now that new cases have slowed, that attention has shifted back to concerns for a resurgence of the pandemic and an accompanying increase in other respiratory viruses. Urgent care providers should be aware that certain complications of monkeypox linger, though, as noted in an article just published by JAMA Neurology. Such vigilance could actually aid in retrospective …
Read MoreBetter Antibiotic Stewardship May Start with Improving Diagnostic Stewardship
Urgent care as an industry has made a firm commitment to reducing inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotics. Most often, we picture a clinician resisting patient demands for a script even though they’re experiencing a viral respiratory infection or fighting the urge to write one just in case a culture comes back positive. According to a Medpage Today article based on data presented at IDWeek, a group of hospitals in Michigan found that taking a step back …
Read MoreDisparities Could Leave Some Patients at Greater Risk for Flu and Poor Outcomes This Year
With this flu season expected to be harsher than others in recent years, while respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 are also circulating widely, it will be especially important to ensure that as many Americans as possible are suitably vaccinated. Unfortunately, as was made clearer than ever during the height of the pandemic, some racial and ethnic groups are at greater risk for illness and poor outcomes during viral outbreaks. In fact, according to a new …
Read MoreFollow-Up: ‘Tripledemic’ Worries May Be Well-Founded, and Realized Sooner Than Later
Just last week, we told you that unusually high cases of respiratory syncytial virus, added to existing concerns over COVID-19 and influenza season, have public health officials in the United States worrying about simultaneous epidemic-level surges of all three viruses. Already, data are pouring in from around the country, raising the alarm that what was first thought to be a potential near-future problem may be an actual present-day crisis. An article published in the Virginia …
Read MoreAnother Incentive to Prescribe Judiciously: Amoxicillin Is in Short Supply
High demand, supply-chain challenges, and difficulties sourcing raw materials are combining to leave the United States with an insufficient supply of amoxicillin. According to an article published by Bloomberg, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, and Sandoz are experiencing shortages of multiple dosage forms of the antibiotic (though the greatest deficit is with the liquid form). The net effect is that new orders are being limited to ensure current demand can be met for as long …
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