Practice Management
The family of a 42-year-old male brings the patient to urgent care for altered mental status believing that they had arrived at an emergency department. His family found him on the floor at home with a non-functioning heater on a very cold day. He is bradycardic and ill-appearing. An ECG is obtained.
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Comparing Point-of-Care Ultrasound With X-Rays in Pediatric Physeal Injuries Take Home Point: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) demonstrated a high sensitivity in detecting traumatic bone and physeal fractures in children. However, it had only moderate concordance with x-rays (XR) in assessing the extension of the fracture into the joint space and Salter-Harris classification. Citation: Gurkan O, Kozaci N, Colak S, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care ultrasonography in physeal fractures. Am J Emerg Med. 2026 Feb;100:198-204. doi: …
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Urgent Message: Behçet disease may present atypically in non-endemic regions, and ocular involvement requires urgent specialty evaluation to prevent irreversible vision loss. James McClellan, BS; Kimberly M. Rathbun, MD, PhD, MPH Keywords: vision loss; retinal vasculitis; panuveitis; Behçet disease; branch retinal artery occlusion; branch retinal vein occlusion Abstract Introduction: Behçet disease is a multisystemic inflammatory disease affecting large, medium, and small blood vessels that has an unpredictable and recurrent pattern. Behçet disease has a wide …
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Urgent Message: The prediction model developed for this study suggests that tympanometry may have value in evaluating cases of possible acute otitis media or acute hearing loss in urgent care centers. Jeff Lacour, MD; John Weissert; Dan Frankowski; Demetrio Aguila III, MD; Joshua Russell, MD Keywords: tympanometry; acute otitis media; otitis media with effusion; sudden sensorineural hearing loss; conductive hearing loss; urgent care Abstract Introduction: Tympanometry is a well-validated and rapid tool for assessment of …
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Urgent Message: Acute asthma exacerbations commonly present to urgent care, and providers must be well-equipped to recognize asthma exacerbations and be familiar with management recommendations. Samantha Shear, DO; Laura Calderon Suarez, MD; Maria Sara Valle Nodal, MD Keywords: pediatric asthma; asthma exacerbation; spirometry; inhaled corticosteroids; bronchodilator therapy; urgent care Abstract Overview: Asthma affects nearly 10% of children globally, with an estimated 95.7 million cases reported in 2021. This review discusses updates from the 2025 Global …
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Urgent Message: While most headache presentations are not life-threatening, urgent care providers must remain vigilant in identifying patients with potentially serious conditions who require transfer to a higher level of care. Elizabeth Minchau, DNP, APRN-BC; Saira George, MD; Stephanie Rellick, PhD; Carmen N. Burrell, DO Keywords: headache; glioblastoma; aphasia; hypertension; personality changes; brain mass Abstract Introduction: Patients often present to urgent care (UC) clinics for headaches. While most headaches are non-life-threatening, the urgent care provider …
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Variation in Pretibial Laceration Management Take Home Point: Assessment and management of pretibial lacerations lack consistent standardized guidelines, which is needed to improve patient outcomes. Citation: Shafi S, Shaw A, Koubeh W, et al. Management of pretibial lacerations: A systematic review. Injury. 2026;57(4):113101. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2026.113101 Relevance: Pretibial lacerations are commonly encountered in both emergency departments (EDs) and urgent care (UC) settings, especially among older adults. Despite their frequency, management approaches vary widely across settings and …
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Urgent Message: Abdominal and pelvic pain are common presentations to urgent care. Clinicians need to maintain a broad differential to make the correct diagnosis and offer appropriate treatment. Anisah Chauhdry, MS; Naushair Hussain, DO; Michael B. Weinstock, MD Keywords: pelvic pain; ectopic pregnancy; pelvic inflammatory disease; ovarian torsion; ovarian cysts; dysmenorrhea Editor’s Note: The patient case scenario is hypothetical to enhance educational value. Abstract Causes of abdominal and pelvic pain in reproductive-aged women include many …
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A 26-year-old female presents to urgent care with a persistent productive cough for 1 week. Over the past 3 days, she reports progressive shortness of breath and fatigue. She has a history of recurrent pneumonia. Vital signs show the patient is afebrile with normal blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. Physical examination revealed clear lung sounds with diminished air movement in the bilateral bases. Jugular venous distension (JVD) at 4 cm above …
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Urgent Message: Patients presenting with radial wrist pain that is exacerbated by thumb and wrist motion may raise the suspicion for De Quervain tenosynovitis (DQT). Utilizing a clinically focused framework is important for the evaluation and management of DQT. Jacob Welch OMS-3, William O’Neal MD Keywords: wrist pain, De Quervain tenosynovitis, Finkelstein test, Eichhoff test Editor’s Note: The patient case scenario is hypothetical to enhance educational value. Abstract De Quervain tenosynovitis (DQT) is a frequent …
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