Clinical Feature Articles

Urgent message: Most cases of vertigo are benign. This includes etiologies such as benign paroxysmal position vertigo, labyrinthitis, and psychogenic causes. However, there are serious, “can’t miss” etiologies which should be considered during the urgent care evaluation of a dizzy patient. Cody McCoy, DO and Michael Weinstock, MD Citation: McCoy C, Weinstock M. A cause of dizziness not to be missed. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;17(5):13-16. Key words: dizziness, vertigo, disequilibrium, BPPV INTRODUCTION Dizziness presents a challenging complaint to accurately diagnose, not only because of the wide array of potential …
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Urgent message: Psoas (or iliopsoas) abscess, although rare, is a cause of back pain associated with high morbidity and mortality. Proper diagnosis requires the physician to recognize signs in the history and physical examination that are suggestive of a potentially serious spinal condition prompting further workup. Fabrizia Faustinella, MD, PhD and L. Alexandre Frigini, MD Citation: Faustinella F, Frigini LA. A common compliant with an unlikely diagnosis: psoas abscess in the urgent care center. J Urgent Care Med. 2023;17(4):17-21. INTRODUCTION Back pain is a common complaint in ambulatory centers, urgent …
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Urgent message: Often, patients that could safely be treated for lacerations in the urgent care center are referred to the emergency room due to the quest for expediency, or even providers being out of practice with treating such wounds on site during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, doing so contributes to the degradation of acuity in urgent care while delaying care and raising costs. Anesthesia for wound repair can be achieved in many ways, typically with injection of local anesthetics or application of topical agents directly to the wound. Direct injection …
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Urgent message: After a brief hiatus during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of new sexually transmitted infections has resumed at epidemic rates in the United States. With many specialty STI clinics having closed, urgent care may be better positioned than ever to help curb their spread. Glenn Harnett, MD Citation: Harnett G. The rising importance of urgent care in the fight against the STI epidemic. J Urgent Care Med. 2022;16(3):15-20. Key words: chlamydia, gonorrhea, STD, STI, syphilis INTRODUCTION The 2020 CDC STD Surveillance Report showed a decrease …
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Urgent message: Opioid prescribing and opioid-related deaths have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although supported by the CHEST Diagnosis and Management of Cough and NICE COVID-19 guidelines, it is time to reevaluate the appropriateness of using codeine in suppressing cough. Megan Penner, PharmD and Hojung Jang, PharmD Candidate CLINICAL SCENARIO A 54-year-old female with a past medical history of diabetes, hypertension, and depression presents to the urgent care center with congestion, nasal discharge, fatigue, and cough with symptoms starting 5 days prior to presentation. The patient is diagnosed with a …
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