Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Virtual Medicine Better for Some Complaints than Others—Depending on the Provider

Virtual medicine works better for some presenting complaints than others—and varies widely by provider—according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers looked at how eight provider companies performed in recognizing, ordering tests, and diagnosing treatment for six common conditions. Though the study was not designed with urgent care in mind, the presentations included reflect common reasons for urgent care visits. Diagnostic accuracy was highest for recurrent female urinary tract infection (91%) and …

Difficult Patients May Be More Difficult to Diagnose

As the difficulty in dealing with a patient goes up, diagnostic accuracy goes down, according to a new report published in BMJ Quality and Safety. The complexity of the ultimate diagnosis and the amount of time spent with the patient appear to have no bearing on the probability of making a correct diagnosis. The article is based on two studies in the Netherlands that showed physicians were more likely to misdiagnose patients who exhibited “disruptive …