Benjamin Silverberg, MD, MSc, FAAFP, FCUCM Archives

Best Practices for LGBTQ-Friendly Urgent Care

Urgent message: LGBTQ individuals are subject to implicit and explicit bias in our society, ranging from microaggressions and antagonistic legislation to overt discrimination and harassment. This can inhibit willingness to seek medical care—and, subsequently, lead to worse health outcomes. Given the more accessible, episodic nature of urgent care, understanding how word choice and other subtle cues communicate our competency in working with LGBTQ patients can help us engender trust more quickly. INTRODUCTION The goals for …

Pretravel Consultations in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent message: A pretravel consultation assesses the patient’s fitness for travel in the context of anticipated risks associated with their journey. This individualized counseling takes into account not just age or destination, but also general health and other factors such as past travel experience. Given the proliferation of single-specialty travel medicine clinics, with appropriate training and preparation, these assessments can easily be performed in the urgent care setting. Benjamin Silverberg, MD, MSc, FAAFP, FCUCM Citation: …

Best Practices for LGBTQ-Friendly Care in Urgent Care

Urgent message: LGBTQ individuals are subject to implicit and explicit biases in our society, ranging from antagonistic legislation and microaggressions to overt harassment. This can inhibit willingness to seek medical care—and, subsequently, lead to worse health outcomes. Understanding how word choice and other subtle cues communicate competency in working with LGBTQ patients can help us engender trust. Benjamin Silverberg, MD, MSc, FAAFP, FCUCM INTRODUCTION The goals for treating LGBTQ patients (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and …

Conducting Preparticipation Sports Physicals in the Urgent Care Center

Urgent message: Youth athletic programs are ubiquitous in the United States, with leagues requiring players to have a physical exam before they’re allowed to take part. Ensuring your urgent care center is ready to be a “go to” resource for a thorough work-up increases young athletes’ chances for a safe experience and bolsters your position as a valued community health resource. INTRODUCTION Millions of juveniles participate in organized athletics the world over every year. In …