According to JUCM’s own chart research, antibiotics are the most-prescribed class of medications in urgent care. This is not surprising, given that six of the top 10 presenting complaints in urgent care encompass possible diagnoses for which an antibiotic could be an appropriate choice.1
Still, there’s no denying that antibiotics have been overprescribed across the board—in retail clinics, emergency room, traditional primary care offices, and urgent care. This was clearly validated in a research letter published in 2018 by the Journal of the American Medical Association.2 And it’s why JUCM focused so much of this issue’s content on the crucial subject of antibiotic stewardship. The Urgent Care Association and the College of Urgent Care Medicine have answered the call by teaming up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recognize urgent care operators who demonstrate compliance with certain standards of responsible antibiotic use (ie, the Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship).
