Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

‘Back to Normal’ Means Back to Community Outreach Initiatives

This summer may have kids heading back outside with greater enthusiasm than ever before. With that energy comes risk, however. West Texas Urgent Care is well aware of this—and the fact that Texas Medical Association data show nearly 85% of head injuries are the result of bicycle crashes—and has already launched a safety event for local cyclists. Visitors were invited to take part in a bicycle safety course that reminded them of the rules of …

Keep at It—Physician-Delivered Patient Ed Really Does Make a Difference (Especially with COVID-19)

With only 49% of the United States vaccinated against COVID-19 as of July 21, it can feel like your efforts to educate patients enough to protect themselves are in vain. New data published by the Journal of the American Medical Association says otherwise, however. In fact, it appears that messages delivered by physicians can actually help increase COVID-19 knowledge and even bridge the gap in health inequities among different racers in the U.S. Drawn from …

After the Pandemic Blues, Public Health Experts Fear an Onslaught of STD Cases

Last summer, and certainly the seasons that followed, had most Americans struggling with disruptions in the routines and isolated from their social norms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Young singles may have been especially frustrated with reduced opportunities to meet and mingle. Now, however, with mask mandates and social distancing restrictions largely a thing of the past, the dating seen is back in full force—with public health experts now seeming as worried about a surge …

As with Active COVID-19, Children Are NOT Immune to Long-term Symptoms Post Infection

It took a while for the general public—and even some clinicians—to accept that COVID-19 really is dangerous for children. While it’s true that fewer children died or experienced severe disease compared with adults, it’s now been shown that there is some degree of risk. And, of course, there’s always the danger that a child can infect an older person who is at great risk for a poor outcome. Likewise, it’s important to know that children, …

RSV Is Running Rampant in Infants and Toddlers Right Now. Are You Prepared?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s admonition that the southern portion of the United States could see a surge of respiratory syncytial virus cases this summer is coming to fruition as we speak—although the scope of the problem appears to be much broader than the CDC anticipated. While the southeast is leading the way in terms of number of cases, RSV (usually higher in the winter) is more prevalent than would be expected for …

Be Prepared: Patients Can Be ‘Over’ COVID-19 But Not Over the Symptoms—for a Long Time

So many patients have lingering symptoms after the SARS-CoV-2 virus has actually resolved that distinctive names have emerged: long-haul COVID-19, or post-COVID condition. Complaints can include those associated directly with the virus—eg, shortness of breath, body aches, fatigue—or an entirely new set that could include twitching muscles, racing heart, and various gastrointestinal problems. Be prepared to administer COVID-19 tests or antibody tests to rule out true infection. In addition, according to the Centers for Disease …

Update: A Deeper Dive Confirms Telemedicine Use Waxes and Wanes Along with COVID-19

Recently, we shared data indicating that use of telemedicine appears to be on the decline following a brief period of increased utilization. Now an article published by JAMA Network confirms that those fluctuations tracked along with the COVID-19 pandemic, while also shedding light on who was drawn to virtual visits when in-person care seemed too daunting to some patients. Specifically, data from the IQVIA National Disease and Therapeutic Index showed that 77% of telehealth “visits” …

Peer Pressure May Actually Be a Good Way of Discouraging Inappropriate Prescriptions

Despite great strides in urgent care, overprescribing of antibiotics and related resistance to potentially lifesaving medications continues to be a concern across multiple practice settings. Sometimes it’s easier to write that prescription than it is to resist the urge to please patients and rack up high satisfaction scores. What if we found out that prescribers are equally swayed by the opinion of a respected colleague? That could be the case, it turns out, according to …

Operators May Not Be to Blame When a Physician Assaults a Patient—but They’re Sure to Pay the Price

An urgent care physician in the San Francisco Bay area was arrested recently on suspicion of sexual battery. A patient charged that he made repeated, unwanted sexual advances and even forced himself on her three times. Local media reports raise the specter that there could be other victims yet to come forward. There’s no indication that his employer had any idea about his alleged predatory behavior, and at this point there’s no indication that they’ll …

Is the Pandemic Telehealth Boom About to Go Bust?

It’s always been hard to get a good read on how telehealth would ultimately fare in the urgent care industry. There have been proponents who argued that anything that increases access to medical care—which telehealth does, undeniably—would ultimately be good for the patient and any operator smart enough to seize the opportunity. Others have argued (also logically) that a virtual visit can lack some of the nuances that are so essential in making the right …