Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Management of Scaphoid Injuries with Early Specialized Imaging at Urgent Care Clinics

Urgent message: Timely employment—and informed selection—of the most suitable mode of imaging are essential for correct diagnosis and optimal treatment of scaphoid injuries in the urgent care setting, often negating the need for referral to a higher-acuity setting. Muhammad Asim, MBBS, FRNZCUC, FRNZCGP and Rabeeah Asim, MBBS INTRODUCTION The scaphoid is the most commonly injured bone amongst carpal bones at the wrist, accounting for 10% of all hand fractures and 50% to 80% of all …

A Legal Quandary: Poor Care…or Malpractice?

Urgent message: Failure to consider subtleties and the context in which a patient presents can lead to insufficient differential diagnoses and, therefore, mis- or missed diagnoses that leave the patient at risk for poor outcomes and the provider at risk for litigation. Michael Weinstock, MD and Charles Pilcher, MD Back pain is usually back pain, whether it’s from a muscular strain or another self-limiting, non-serious cause. But there is potential danger lurking below the surface, …

Urgent Care Management of Lacerations in the Elderly Patient

Urgent message: Fragile skin lacerations in geriatric patients require a different repair strategy from those in younger patients. Despite the increased complexity of their wounds, most elderly patients with lacerations can be appropriately managed in the urgent care center. Oscar D. Almeida, Jr., MD, FACOG, FACS and Amy Hunter, DNP, FNP-BC, MSN-RN INTRODUCTION Skin tears form a subcategory of traumatic lacerations frequently affecting older adults. A study that searched Medline and Cochrane Reviews found that …

Urgent Care Diagnosis and Management of Deep Vein Thrombosis

John DesMarais, MD and Samidha Dutta, DO Urgent message: Screening patients with suspected DVT using the Well’s criteria is an efficient tool that would be even more impactful with access to point-of-care, high-sensitivity D-dimer testing in the urgent care setting. Citation: DesMarais J, Dutta S. Urgent care diagnosis and management of deep vein thrombosis. J Urgent Care Med. 2021;15(2):13-17. Case Presentation A 37-year-old woman presents to urgent care with 3-day history of right leg swelling …

N gonorrhoeae: Dual Therapy Is Out. Monotherapy Is In.

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 …

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 …

Epistaxis: A Clinical Review

Urgent message: Epistaxis is a common chief complaint representing a wide spectrum of severity. Key features such as the vital signs, location of the bleeding, and patient history, as well as practice and facility with certain procedures, can assist significantly with patient outcomes and dispositions. Lindsay Ballard, MD; Stephanie Fernandez, MD; and Joshua Kornegay, MD Citation: Ballard L, Fernandez S, Kornegay J. Epistaxis: a clinical review. J Urgent Care Med. 2021;15(10):13-18. Introduction Epistaxis is a …

Outpatient Management of COVID-19 in the Urgent Care Clinic: Administering Monoclonal Antibodies

Urgent message: The approved use of monoclonal antibodies to treat patients who have COVID-19 may signal a shift from inpatient to outpatient care of infected individuals who do not require hospitalization. Urgent care facilities may be ideally suited to serve as treatment centers and to become destinations of choice for such patients. Lindsey Fish, MD Now that COVID-19 has been with us for over a year, we are in a much different position regarding the …

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: …