Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Use of a Quality Improvement Tool for the Evaluation of Healthcare Disparities in Urgent Care: A Case Example for Bacterial Pneumonia

Urgent message: While healthcare disparities have been studied in several healthcare sites, it is unclear whether these disparities persist in the urgent care setting. This study provides a quality improvement tool to assess whether these disparities persist in an urgent care clinic. Derrick Murcia and Lindsey Fish, MD ABSTRACT Background Bacterial pneumonia is an illness commonly seen across urgent care clinics. Despite several studies that have identified healthcare disparities in treating bacterial pneumonia in general, …

Evaluation of Nonfatal Drowning in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Lingering warm weather and postpandemic euphoria continue to have patients eager to pursue outdoor activities, including swimming in pools, freshwater lakes, and oceans. Those who have suffered a drowning episode and whose symptoms have resolved may seek care or reassurance at the local urgent care center. Citation: Davidoff TQ. Evaluation of nonfatal drowning in urgent care. J Urgent Care Med. 2021;15(11):11-14. Case Presentation A 4-year-old Hispanic male without significant past medical history is …

The Unvaccinated Aren’t the Enemy

Taylor wore her embroidered sorority sweatshirt and a mask below her nose when she came to see me. She was 19 and had just finished her freshman year at the local university. Her story was cliché, as well: cough, runny nose, and sore throat “that wouldn’t go away.” She’d been sick for 8 days and she’d come in to get antibiotics. This isn’t a story about antibiotic stewardship, though. “Have you been tested or vaccinated …

Similar to Past Flare Ups Pulmonary Eosinophilia: Putting the Pieces Together

Urgent message: Pulmonary eosinophilia is a generic term for a heterogeneous group of disorders that result in increased eosinophils within the pulmonary parenchyma. Ultimately, the patient here was treated with an extended course of glucocorticoids to treat his chronic eosinophilic pneumonia until he could follow up with his hematologist/pulmonologist. CASE PRESENTATION The patient is a 29-year-old male with history of pulmonary eosinophilia, degenerative disc disease, and asthma who presents to an urgent care center with …

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 …

A 71-Year-Old with Diabetes and Discoloration of the Skin

The patient is a 71-year-old female with type 2 diabetes who calls attention to a rash on her shins during an annual physical. The rash appears to be pink, atrophic scars surrounded by hyperpigmented patches. They have developed since her last physical. She denies discomfort but is concerned as to what could have caused them. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described …

A 31-Year-Old with Cough and Decreased Breath Sounds

The patient is a 31-year-old woman who presents with new-onset cough and decreased breath sounds to the lower lobes. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

Approach to Syncope in Children and Adolescents

Urgent message: Syncope in pediatric patients may be attributed to a wide variety of sources. As such, it is essential to keep a broad differential and to eliminate potentially life-threatening etiologies. Nehal Bhandari, MD, FAAP and Abbas Zaidi, MD, FAAP CASE PRESENTATION A 12-year-old previously healthy female presents to urgent care with several episodes of “blacking out” over the past 4 days. Each episode has occurred when she stands up from a sitting or supine …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – September 2021

Cooling Pain from Digital Nerve Blocks Safety of Corticosteroids in Children Predicting the Course of Pediatric CAP Is Tranexamic Acid Helpful for Epistaxis? Drug Therapy for Sciatica Imaging May Not Correlate with Lumbar Pain COVID-19 Vaccination in Lactating Patients Applying Ice Reduces Pain from Digital Nerve Blocks Take-home point: Use of an ice pack applied prior to the administration of a digital nerve block reduces pain from local anesthetic injection Citation: Rasooli F, Sotoodehnia M, …

A 57-Year-Old Female with Cardiological History and Shortness of Breath

The patient is a 57-year-old female with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and left ventricular thrombus on warfarin who presents with shortness of breath. She denies any bleeding, bruising, dark-colored stools, chest pain, fever, cough, or leg pain. On evaluation, the patient’s vital signs are normal. She is breathing comfortably and speaking in complete sentences. View the ECG and consider what your next steps and diagnosis would be. Resolution of the …

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