Practice Management
Public health officials have confirmed a mumps outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU). Five confirmed and/or probable cases have been identified as of September 18, and all the cases are among student athletes on a single team. The students are no longer considered contagious. In response, the San Diego County Public Health Services hosted a clinic for students to screen for mumps symptoms and also to provide a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine boosters …
Read More
The city of Waterbury, Connecticut, and the state are partnering on a new affordable housing development designed to help attract and retain healthcare workers. The project will create 47 studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units near Saint Mary’s Hospital and Waterbury Hospital, according to the local CT Mirror. Rents are expected to range from $1,000–$1,500 for households earning up to $80,000 annually. The $15 million development will receive about $11.6 million in state funding, some of …
Read More
A meta-analysis found that people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have significantly higher statistical odds of multiple gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (eg, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.) than those without an ADHD diagnosis. The analysis published in the Journal of Attention Disorders included 23 studies representing more than 1.9 million participants, which based findings on validated symptom instruments as well as self-reported patient symptoms. Overall, ADHD was associated with 48% higher odds of GI …
Read More
A study of urgent care centers published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found that medication-dispensing kiosks, combined with an antimicrobial stewardship program, could be useful to support antibiotic stewardship principles. In late 2019, a Florida health system installed medication kiosks in 20 of its urgent care centers, providing prepackaged antibiotics corresponding to guideline-supported antibiotic courses. Instead of sending a patient’s prescription to a community pharmacy, for example, the urgent care clinician could send the electronic …
Read More
A national study of 31,800 primary care physicians from internal medicine and family medicine residency programs found a connection between residency ratings and antibiotic prescribing during the physicians’ first 5 years of practice. In this study, the competency scores included Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone ratings across 6 core competency areas: patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, communication skills, systems-based practice, and practice-based learning. Physicians with higher competency ratings near the end of their …
Read More
A population-based Canadian study found SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with subsequent new diagnoses of certain self-reported health conditions among adults. Compared with adults reporting no infections, those reporting 2 or more bouts of COVID-19 had 76% greater adjusted odds of receiving a new health diagnosis overall (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–2.76), including newly diagnosed respiratory conditions (aOR=5.03) and back problems (aOR=3.79), as published in Canada Communicable Disease Report. The study grouped …
Read More
A new analysis conducted by the Yale School of Public Health and a global communications firm suggests that today’s vaccine hesitancy is not simply a rejection of healthcare professionals or scientific evidence. Among people surveyed who would not give their children vaccines or would only give their children only some of the recommended vaccines, personal experience was the leading influence on how the parents arrived at their vaccine views, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust …
Read More
A small study presented at the 44th Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons this week found high rates of eyelid and ocular surface issues among young women who regularly used eyelash extensions (semipermanent fibers glued individually to natural eyelashes for cosmetic enhancement). Among survey participants who had received extensions at least 10 times, 85% showed signs of meibomian gland dysfunction. Nearly half (47.6%) of women who had extensions reported discomfort, redness, …
Read More
A large cross-sectional study published this month in JAMA Network Open found that extreme heat was associated with small, short-term reductions in blood pressure among adults receiving outpatient care. The analysis included 2,554 community health centers across 40 states, examining more than 4.2 million summer encounters from 2019–2023. On days of extreme heat, patients’ recorded adjusted systolic blood pressure was 0.7 mm Hg lower and diastolic blood pressure was 0.3 mm Hg lower than the …
Read More
The Urgent Care Association (UCA) and Experity are partnering to co-present the Limelight Award for Staff Excellence. Created to honor an exceptional frontline professional whose contributions represent the very best of urgent care, this Limelight Award is more than a recognition. It is an industry honor presented by the top leadership organizations deeply invested in the people, progress, and future of urgent care. Nominations highlight frontline professionals as the individuals who go above and beyond …
Read More