Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Warn Patients: Post-Coronavirus Immunity May Last 5 Months—but Transmissibility Continues

Patients who recover from COVID-19 infection may be comforted by new data suggesting their antibodies could provide at least 5 months of protection from new infection. The Sarscov2 Immunity & Reinfection EvaluationN (SIREN) study indicates that recovered individuals have at least 83% protection from reinfection over that time period, if not longer. However, as noted in an article posted by Medscape, some of those patients may still be capable of transmitting the virus to people …

No Matter What ‘Wave’ of the Pandemic We’re In, Tell Patients to Keep Wearing a Mask

Internationally, public health experts are in disagreement over the prospects of a second wave of widespread COVID-19 infection—though not because they think the pandemic is sputtering to a halt anytime soon. Some (such as Anthony Fauci, MD, head of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) say it’s premature to think about a second wave because we don’t know when the first wave will end. Others, such as a group …

A 53-Year-Old Male with Wrist Pain After a Fall

The patient is a 53-year-old man who presents with wrist pain after tripping over a fallen tree while on a hike, landing on his outstretched arm. There is pain on palpation. You find decreased range of motion of the distal wrist. Neurovascular status is intact. View the image taken and consider your next steps, along with possible diagnoses.

A 14-Year-Old Boy with Elbow Pain After a Fall on an Outstretched Hand

The patient is a 14-year-old boy who is brought to your urgent care center with lateral right elbow pain after falling on his outstretched hand (FOOSH) while ice skating. The pain worsens when he attempts to straighten his arm. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.

Study Lists Ways to Ensure a Positive Experience for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children wind up in the urgent care center when they’re not at their best—sickly, often cranky, and not necessarily in the most compliant frame of mind. And that’s “typical” kids. The challenges can increase exponentially for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). How staff and clinicians deal with the patient and family in the urgent care center or emergency room can make all the difference in the world, though, facilitating a better clinical experience and …

A 40-Year-Old Veterinarian with Scaly Lesions

Case The patient is a 40-year-old man who presents with annular, scaly lesions on his arm which appeared over the past week. The patient is a veterinarian, and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last year. View the photo and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

A 44-Year-Old Man with Intermittent Dizziness

Case A 44-year-old man presents to your urgent care center complaining of intermittent dizziness. He denies shortness of breath, fever, chest pain, and syncope. Upon exam, you find: General: Alert and oriented Lungs: CTAB Cardiovascular: RRR without murmur, rub, or gallop Abdomen: Soft and NT without r/r/g View the ECG and consider what the diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

Maintain Holiday Awareness and Post Hours for Independence Day

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission tells us we can expect a spike in emergency room visits on or around the Independence Day holiday next week. If you’ve done a good job of alerting your community to the fact that many ED-bound patients could be treated just as well (not to mention faster and less expensively) in your urgent care center, that means you can expect to see more traffic, too. Make sure your holiday …

Colorado Hospital Sees Higher Pot-Related Visits Since Legalization

The number of marijuana-related visits to the emergency room and urgent care center at Children’s Hospital Colorado has more than quadrupled since Colorado legalized recreational use, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reviewed ED and urgent care records for 13- to 21-year-olds, looking for visits where the patient either had a diagnostic code related to marijuana use or a positive urine screen; that number rose from 146 …

New Limits on Prescribing Opioids for Acute Pain

Ohio is placing new limits on the prescribing of opioid medications for acute pain, forbidding clinicians from writing more than a 7-day supply for adults, or a 5-day supply for minors (down from up to 90 days, currently). Prescribers will be allowed to override the acute pain limit if they identify a specific reason in their patients’ medical records, though this is not likely to apply in the urgent care setting. Further, the limits do …