Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Adults With Health Conditions Have Higher Incidence of Severe RSV

Researchers found adults with underlying high-risk conditions (HRCs)—such as asthma, congenital immunodeficiency, chronic kidney disease, and others—had a higher risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection than those without such conditions. A community-based study published in Open Forum Infectious Disease followed 7,501 adults aged 18–64 years over 2 RSV seasons. Overall, RSV acute respiratory infection rates were similar in adults with and without HRCs (17.9 cases per 1,000 person-years vs 14.8 cases per 1,000 …

Annoying Flu Symptoms Can Linger For Weeks

Many patients presenting to urgent care with flu symptoms just want relief from the annoyance of their sore throat or body aches. A new study of 724 U.S. adults with confirmed influenza during the 2024–2025 season published in BMC Infectious Diseases found flu symptoms were greatest during the first few days of the illness but often continued on beyond the expected time to recover. In a survey with a selection of 12 flu-related symptoms, participants …

COVID Antiviral Found Safe For Younger Kids

Researchers found the oral antiviral drug nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) is safe for kids as young as age 6 with mild/moderate COVID-19 who were at increased risk for severe disease, as published in Pediatrics. Of the in 75 children in the international study, 81% had 1 risk factor for severe COVID-19, most commonly obesity (49%) or chronic lung disease (40%). Additionally, 56% were unvaccinated. Children aged 6–17 years who weighed 40 kg or more received 300 mg …

Framework For Musculoskeletal Injuries Helps Avoid Missed Diagnosis

A structured approach to evaluating acute musculoskeletal injuries may help reduce missed diagnoses and unnecessary imaging, according to a review article published in Cureus. Musculoskeletal complaints account for an estimated 20%–25% of emergency department visits, and the authors explain that combining injury mechanism, functional assessment, focused physical examination, and targeted imaging can help identify significant injuries. Validated clinical decision tools can safely reduce unnecessary radiographs while still achieving accurate diagnosis, they say. For example, the …

Heart Failure Definition Gets A Makeover

A new international expert consensus document from leading cardiology groups offers an update on the definition of heart failure, taking into consideration advances in diagnosis and clinical understanding of the disease, as published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. While the statement isn’t a clinical practice guideline—and does not include treatment recommendations—it aims to clarify the definition and adopt it universally. For urgent care clinicians, the most relevant point is that heart …

Cyclosporiasis Intestinal Illness Spreads Across Northeast

Several state health departments are actively investigating a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis. In late June, Michigan reported 177 cases of cyclosporiasis, then by July 4, the case count more than tripled to 572 cases, then grew again on July 9 to 1,251, according to local news reports. The figure represents more than 10 times the usual case counts for the state at this time of year. Ohio, Illinois, and New York are beginning to see …

There’s Room to Improve Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Sinusitis

Researchers found that antibiotic prescribing frequently exceeded guideline recommendations in a study of 1,000 ambulatory visits for acute sinusitis in 2024 across several locations of the Mayo Clinic health system, as published in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology. Although only 67.6% of the encounters met criteria for antibiotic treatment, 89.2% of encounters resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Urgent care represented one-quarter of the study’s 1,000 encounters (254 visits) and 68.5% of those urgent care encounters …

Oral Drug Offers Options For Complicated UTI

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month approved tebipenem pivoxil for adults with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), including pyelonephritis, in patients who have limited or no alternative oral treatment options. Marketed as Utebzi, it is one of the more significant antibiotic approvals in recent years because it is the first oral carbapenem antibiotic available in the United States, according to manufacturer GSK. Until now, carbapenems (eg, ertapenem, meropenem, and imipenem) have generally required …

Small Rise in Tetanus Warrants Attention

Cases of tetanus in the United States rose from 17 in 2020 to 38 in 2025, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prompting public health experts to suggest that Americans might check their vaccine status and consider boosters when appropriate. CDC reported that from 2009–2023 there were 402 reported tetanus cases nationwide—an average of about 27 cases per year with 37 total deaths. However, other signs indicate …

AI Model Expands ECG’s Diagnostic Potential

An AI model developed by researchers at New York-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use in detecting structural heart disease through electrocardiograms (ECGs), according to a news release. Known as EchoNext, the deep learning model was trained to detect a broad range of structural abnormalities, as published in Nature: The model analyzes a routine 12-lead ECG and estimates whether a patient is likely to …

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