Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Cyberattacks Hit Healthcare The Worst

The federal government is getting more involved in healthcare cybersecurity, and its efforts can’t come soon enough. Last year alone, cyberattacks increased 86%, amounting to an average of 1,410 attacks per organization per week, according to the Journal of AHIMA. A new federal project is designed to discover best-performing technologies used for national security and apply them to healthcare. Six projects led by universities and tech research companies were awarded $50 million by the Department …

Ketamine Use Concerns Clinicians

As clinicians aim to reduce their reliance on opioid painkillers, prescriptions for ketamine have seen a surge. What’s most worrisome is that many of the prescriptions originate from telehealth services, according to an Associated Press news article. This raises alarm among experts about the risks of writing prescriptions for non-approved uses, overprescribing, and the associated abuse potential—not unlike the factors that contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis. Research led by a Duke University pain specialist …

Rising Congenital Syphilis Trend Could Be Prevented

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported a surge in congenital syphilis cases in the United States over the past decade, with a 755% increase from 2012-2021. In 2022, there were 3,761 reported cases, leading to an increase in stillbirths, infant mortality, and severe birth defects. Most of these cases could have been prevented if mothers had received adequate testing and treatment, says the CDC. The issue disproportionately affects certain populations with …

EM Residency Positions Go Unfilled

An analysis in STAT News found a recently developed disconnect between interest in the field of emergency medicine and the number of available residency spots. The number of applications has exceeded the number of positions historically with more than enough applicants throwing their hats in the ring from 2008 to 2022. However in recent months, the trend has reversed. Now, as the analysis shows, the number of applications has dropped well below the number of …

Infant Mortality Increases By 3%

In 2022, the United States saw a 3% increase in the infant mortality rate, which represents the most significant rise in two decades. The national infant mortality rate climbed from 5.44 per 1,000 live births to 5.6 per 1,000, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it appears as a seemingly small increase, it’s the first statistically significant jump since the rise recorded between 2001-2002. Notably, the rise in infant mortality …

Join Virtual Discussions About ‘Bounceback!’ Cases

One hour of free CME will be offered in the forthcoming Bouncebacks! Book Club virtual discussions. The book series Bouncebacks!—created by The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine’s Senior Clinical Editor Michael Weinstock, MD, and colleagues—takes a fresh approach to the practice of medicine by focusing on “bounce-back” visits with a collection of case reports. The Bouncebacks! series presents the actual documentation of an emergency encounter, analyzes it from a risk-management and patient-safety perspective, then reveals …

A Love Letter

Dear Urgent Care, I remember the day we first met. It was a long-ago Christmas Eve early in the morning, and I had awakened with a terribly sore throat. I was despondent, knowing no one would be willing to take care of me on the holiday, which meant it wouldn’t be a very merry one for me. Then, there you were. In a brick building on a well-traveled highway, your lights were on and your …

Broader Issues Surround ‘Work Note Seeking’

Joshua Russell, MD, MSc, FCUCM, FACEP Who among us has worked a single urgent care (UC) shift without at least one patient making a humble request for a sick note to take back to work? “Can I have a work note?” It’s a simple ask. In fact, apart from medication refills, work note visits rank among the most welcomed presentations for many overworked clinicians, offering a much-needed mental reprieve and a chance to finally catch up …

75 Year Old With Rib Pain

A 75-year-old woman presents to urgent care following a fall in her home that day. An adult daughter explains that her mother has pain on her left side around her ribs. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the following page.

Real-World Validation of Rapid PCR Strep Testing in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: The diagnosis of bacterial pharyngitis is often difficult. Rapid polymerase chain reaction testing has potential to improve diagnostic certainty. Despite high accuracy rates, many urgent care providers continue to seek confirmation by throat culture. Justin Bowles, MD, Supreet Ghumman, MS4 Citation: Bowles J, Ghumman S. Real world validation of rapid PCR strep testing in urgent care. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;18(2):15-21 Key Words: bacterial pharyngitis; PCR testing Abstract Introduction: Point-of-care polymerase chain reaction …