Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Shows Slightly More Risk of Issues Than Amoxicillin

In a study of 320,141 children published in JAMA Network, researchers found those treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate had a slightly higher risk of treatment failure (defined as lack of effectiveness or intolerability) compared with amoxicillin. And for those treated with amoxicillin-clavulanate, there was also a higher risk of gastrointestinal symptoms and yeast infections. Accessing treatment in urgent care was more common among patients who received amoxicillin-clavulanate (9.6%) than those who received amoxicillin (5.9%), and urgent care …

About 5% of Adults With RSV Experience Hospitalizations

Researchers quantified the real-world risk for hospitalization among adults diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in outpatient settings in a study presented in JAMA Network Open. They examined all-cause 28-day hospitalization following outpatient RSV infections among all adults as well as a high-risk subgroup of adults across 6 RSV seasons comprising 67,239 outpatient infections. Data revealed approximately 5% of adults experienced all-cause hospitalization within 28 days following outpatient RSV infections. The analysis showed an absolute …

Twice as Many Moms Diagnosed With Postpartum Depression

Rates of postpartum depression (PPD) have doubled over the last decade, according to a Kaiser Permanente cross-sectional study of 442,308 births from 2010 to 2021, presented in JAMA Network Open. The rate of diagnosis jumped from about 9% to 19% in 2021 (P for trend <.001). In the study, 83.7% of subjects had initiated prenatal care during the first trimester, and authors note that in spite of better screening tools and clinician awareness, PPD continues to be …

Flu Shots Slightly Ahead of Last Season But Still Below 35%

In the week ending November 9, 2024, 30%-40% of adults had received 2 of the most recommended vaccines, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An estimated 34.7% of adults reported having received a seasonal influenza vaccine, and 39.7% of adults age 75 and older have received a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. Likewise, 31.6% of adults aged 60–74 years at increased risk have received an RSV vaccine. …

Majority of Americans Plan to Skip COVID Vaccine

At least 60% of Americans say they will probably not get an updated COVID-19 vaccine for this flu season, according to the Pew Research Center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, yet only 15% of those surveyed in October said they had received a COVID vaccine. Another 24% say they probably will get an updated vaccine. While the center reports partisan differences, there are also noteworthy …

Case Of Severe Illness From H5N1 Virus Causing New Concerns

The H5N1 bird flu virus that recently infected a teenager in British Columbia is apparently a mutated virus strain, increasing its ability to infect humans, according to STAT News. The teen, hospitalized on November 8, was reported to be in critical condition this week. No evidence suggests the virus has spread to others, meaning this mutated strain could die out once the teen recovers. Virologists believe the mutation likely developed during the teen’s illness, though …

Intimate Partner Violence Screenings Gain Traction

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently posted an “in progress” recommendation statement for clinicians to screen for intimate partner violence and caregiver abuse in primary care settings. The proposed statement is open for public comment until November 25, 2024. The USPSTF suggests that clinicians screen pregnant and postpartum women as well as women of reproductive age for signs of intimate partner violence. However, it determined that there is insufficient evidence to recommend either …

Heart Disease Deaths Related To Obesity Climbing 5% Annually

According to new research from the American Heart Association, heart disease deaths related to obesity increased by 180% in the U.S. between 1999 and 2020. Findings were especially concerning among men (increased 243%) and more specifically, middle-aged men (increased 165%). Also, Black adults exhibited heart disease death rates related to obesity of 3.93 deaths per 100,000 people. Researchers measured age-adjusted mortality rates and found a 5.03 annual percentage increase in the overall rate of obesity-related …

Forward Closes Up Shop After Well-Funded Push Into Primary Care

Attempts to disrupt or supplant primary care haven’t gone as planned for a number of ambitious start-ups. After raising more than $600 million and reaching a valuation of $1 billion, Forward has abruptly canceled already-scheduled patient visits, disabled its app, and began shutting down its clinic locations last week. The Forward model was based on cash payment for direct primary care backed by tech-enabled care automation. Reportedly, the company had technical issues with its automated …

Flu Season Off to Slow Start in 2024-2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that respiratory virus activity remains low nationally, while also confirming the first pediatric flu death of the 2024-2025 season, recorded in the middle of October. Overall, 201 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported between October 1 and November 2, 2024. Weekly trend lines show an increase of 2.4% in terms of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for respiratory illnesses for the week ending November 2. Separately, the …