New Data Measure Risks with Oral Corticosteroids Key point: Remember—all medications have risks! Citation: Waljee AK, Rogers MA, Lin P, et al. Short term use of oral corticosteroids and related harms among adults in the United States: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2017;357:j1415. This cohort study looks at patients with short-term steroid use (<30 days) and potential complications at 30 and 90 days out. Endpoints included fracture, sepsis, and blood clot. This study included 1.5 …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – May 2017
Consider Vitamin D Supplementation for Patients Prone to URIs Key point: Vitamin D supplementation was both safe and protective against acute respiratory tract infection. Citation: Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Hooper RL, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ. 2017;356:i6583. An ounce of prevention would definitely be a good idea when it comes to upper respiratory infection. With the currently limited treatments for …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – April 2017
Lessons from Recent Terrorist Attacks Key point: Investment, integration, standardization, and focus on translating military knowledge. Citation: Goralnick E, Van Trimpont F, Carli P. Preparing for the next terrorism attack: lessons from Paris, Brussels, and Boston. JAMA Surg. 2017 Jan 25. [Epub ahead of print] This viewpoint article in JAMA Surgery sheds light on the need for a more global concerted effort to gather and share lessons from recent terrorist attacks such as those that …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care March 2017
Clindamycin Reduces Resistance to Group A Strep Key point: Another use for clindamycin. Citation: Andreoni F, Zurcher C, Tamutzer A, et al. Clindamycin affects group A streptococcus virulence factors and improves clinical outcome. J Infect Dis. 2017;215(2):269-277. Necrotizing fasciitis is a life-threatening infection not frequently seen in the urgent care center, though it does occur. This article from the Infectious Diseases Society of America discusses the importance of adding clindamycin to the treatment regimen. No …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care February 2017
Earlier Return to Activities May Benefit Concussed Children Key point: Another (possibly surprising) view on rest after concussion. Citation: Grool AM, Aglipay M, Momoli F. Association between early participation in physical activity following acute concussion and persistent postconcussive symptoms in children and adolescents. JAMA. 2016;316(23):2504-2514. In this prospective, multicenter cohort study, approximately 2,400 children aged 5-18 years with acute concussion diagnosed at nine emergency departments across Canada were evaluated for persistent postconcussive symptoms (PPCS). Each …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – January 2017
How Much Time with the Physician is “Enough” Time? Key point: Length of time with a provider may not be related to patient experience. Citation: Elmore N, Burt J, Abel G, et al. Investigating the relationship between consultation length and patient experience: a cross-sectional study in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2016;66(653):e896-e903. This study documented the length of stay for 529 patients who were seen by a primary care physician. Patients were then asked to fill out a survey about …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – December 2016
Sean M. McNeeley, MD Azithromycin May Not Be Helpful for Asthma Key point: There is no proven benefit from taking azithromycin for asthma. Citation: Johnston SL, Szigeti M, Cross M, et al; AZALEA Trial Team. Azithromycin for acute exacerbations of asthma: the AZALEA randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176:1630–1637. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial reported here focused on treatment for 3 days for 199 adults with asthma exacerbations. One group received 500 mg of …
Read MoreAbstracts In Urgent Care – November 2016
Sean M. McNeely, MD
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – October 2016
Watching for the Female Athlete Triad Key point: Understanding the female athlete triad is the best way to identify it. Citation: Weiss Kelly AK, Hecht S; Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. The female athlete triad. Pediatrics. 2016;138:e20160922. The female athlete triad continues to be better understood over time. As more females participate at higher levels of competition this disorder must be considered. The report’s authors note that the triad of amenorrhea, osteoporosis, and disordered …
Read MoreAbstracts in Urgent Care – September 2016
SEAN M. McNEELEY, MD The American College of Gastroenterology Publishes New Guidelines for Treating Diarrheal Disease Key point: New guidelines on treating diarrheal disease are available from the American College of Gastroenterology. Citation: Riddle MS, DuPont HL, Connor BA. ACG clinical guideline: diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acute diarrheal infections in adults. Am J Gastroenterol. 2016;111:602–622. The authors of this report note that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 47.8 million cases of …
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