Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Abstracts in Urgent Care – May 2025

Which Topical Agent is the Best Choice for Epistaxis? Take Home Point: This study found that oxymetazoline was most effective in achieving hemostasis in cases of epistaxis when compared to tranexamic acid (TXA) and an epinephrine-lidocaine combination (ELC) solution. Citation: Celik T, Altun M, Kudu E, et. al. Comparison of the efficacy of oxymetazoline, tranexamic acid, and epinephrine-lidocaine combination in the treatment of epistaxis. Am J Emerg Med. 2025 Feb 23:91:104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2025.02.036 Relevance: Controlling …

Prescription Home Delivery Amps Up Among Major Retailers

In the midst of ongoing retail pharmacy store closures, Amazon is pushing ahead on same-day home delivery of prescription medications, aiming to have delivery within reach of about half the U.S. market by the end of the year, according to MedPage Today. The offering seems like a natural complement to Amazon’s growing list of partners delivering telehealth visits and subscription-based digital health services. Walmart launched same-day deliveries less than a year ago and now reaches …

RSV Vaccine Protection Wanes Quickly For Older Adults

The protection offered by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine wanes over time for older adults, even with a booster dose 1 year after initial vaccination, according to a study published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine. This clinical trial of nearly 25,000 participants in 17 countries is one of the first studies measuring the efficacy of the relatively new RSV vaccine over subsequent seasons for those aged 60 years or older. Research data shows that efficacy …

Mississippi’s Expanded Scope of Practice Bill Will Not Move Forward

In Mississippi, the House of Representatives passed a bill in February that would have allowed advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to treat patients without a collaboration agreement with a physician after accruing 8,000 hours of experience. However, the bill and another similar bill ultimately didn’t reach a vote before the legislative session ended earlier this month. The American Medical Association and the Mississippi State Medical Association lobbied against this expansion in scope of practice for APRNs …

CDC Updates Meningococcal, RSV, Chikungunya Vaccine Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted on recommendations for 3 vaccines in recent days, according to CIDRAP. The committee recommended the use of the newly approved 5-in-1 meningococcal (groups A, B, C, W, and Y) vaccine as part of the adolescent meningococcal vaccination schedule. They also recommended that adults aged 50 to 59 years who are at increased risk of severe disease from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) receive a single …

Antibiotics In Early Childhood Linked To Chronic Conditions

When kids are exposed to antibiotics before age 2, they may be at greater risk for asthma (hazard ratio [HR] 1.24, 1.22-1.26), food allergy (HR 1.33, 1.26-1.40), and allergic rhinitis (HR 1.06, 1.03-1.10), according to a retrospective analysis published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. While the study doesn’t prove that early antibiotic exposure caused the conditions, the authors note that antibiotics do play a critical role in combatting bacterial infections. Researchers studied antibiotic exposure …

Wristband Helps Clinicians Care For New Moms

In California, Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta is gaining benefits from a simple program launched late last year in partnership with the Hear Her campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the care of new mothers. Each mother leaves the hospital with a wristband that says “I gave birth” to wear in the days and weeks after delivery so all clinicians are reminded of the need for specialized treatment should the …

Midafternoon May Be the Optimal Time For Asthma Inhaler Use

For adults with mild to moderate asthma, a dose of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) taken in the afternoon suppressed the worsening of nighttime lung function better than other dosing regimens, a small crossover trial published in Thorax showed. A single 400 µg dose between 3PM and 4PM improved nighttime forced expiratory volume compared to baseline in a 28-day study of 25 participants, which included a washout period. However, when the same dose was given between 8AM …

Committee Considering Risk-Based COVID Vaccine Guidelines

One of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work groups is considering backpedaling universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations—the current thinking—in favor of recommendations based on individual risk for the occurrence of more severe disease. If the suggestion advances, guidance would still call for adults aged 65 years and older as well as anyone with underlying health risks to receive at least 2 doses of the COVID vaccine every year. However, anyone outside of the high-risk …

Not Every Case of Measles Is On the Record

The current number of measles cases is likely higher than what has been reported by health authorities, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official speaking at an agency meeting, as reported by CBS. As of April 11, 2025, a total of 712 confirmed measles cases were reported across 7 outbreaks with 97% of the cases occurring in people who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccine status. At least 70% of …