Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Head-to-Head Study Compares GLP-1 Weight Loss

In a pharmaceutical head-to-head, tirzepatide was found to provide 47% greater relative weight loss compared to semaglutide. On average, patients using tirzepatide lost 50.3 lbs (22.8 kg), and those using semaglutide lost 33.1 lbs (15.0 kg) after 72 weeks. In addition, for the study’s secondary endpoint, 31.6% of people taking tirzepatide achieved at least 25% body weight loss compared to 16.1% of those taking semaglutide. The randomized, open-label trial included 751 participants across the United …

Which Children Receive First-Line Antibiotics in Urgent Care Most Often?

In a new study of children 6 to 18 months of age, researchers found the odds of receiving first-line antibiotic therapy in pediatric urgent care centers (PUCs) were lower among White children and those with commercial insurance than in other groups. Authors of the study presented in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology looked at guideline-recommended first-line antibiotics for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) for 396,340 encounters at 28 PUCs in the United States over 1 year. …

UK Begins To Stockpile H5N1 Vaccines

The United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency has now contracted with a supplier to purchase more than 5 million doses of human H5N1 avian flu vaccine to prepare the country should an avian flu pandemic occur. The virus has been causing a prolonged global outbreak with new cases emerging in humans recently—although the risk still remains quite low. Poultry and dairy cattle are the most likely animals to experience outbreaks of the virus, and thousands of …

VillageMD Top Exec Resigns Amid Financial Backslide

CEO Tim Barry, the founder and top executive of VillageMD, is stepping down from his role as the company faces significant financial difficulties. Majority owner Walgreens Boots Alliance has reported substantial losses amounting to billions of dollars, according to Forbes. VillageMD has struggled for more than a decade to attract patients to its clinics located within Walgreens retail stores. This has led to a sharp reduction in its intended expansion plans to stand up clinics …

UC Medical Director Nesheiwat Tapped for Surgeon General

President-elect Trump has announced his intended appointment of Janette Nesheiwat, MD, to be the next surgeon general, according to NPR. She is currently a medical director for CityMD and has contributed to Fox News. With a specialization in emergency and family medicine, she is known for supporting vaccine efforts with an emphasis on the balance of risk and benefit. CityMD merged with Summit Health and was ultimately acquired by VillageMD in early 2023 for $8.9 …

AAP Offers Guidelines for Pediatric Opioid Prescribing

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued its first clinical practice guideline on prescribing opioids for outpatient acute pain management in children, published in Pediatrics. The guideline recommends using immediate-release opioids at the lowest dose for age- and weight-appropriateness, with an initial supply of no more than 5 days unless the pain is due to trauma or surgery requiring longer treatment. Codeine and tramadol should not be prescribed to children under 12, adolescents with …

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 …

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. …

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 …