Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Shingles Rates Declining, Likely Because of Vaccination

The childhood varicella vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1995, so people born from that time on are the first group to reach adulthood with the vaccine’s protection against chickenpox. Additionally, those vaccinated against chickenpox carry a lower risk of later developing shingles caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. A new study of more than 85 million U.S. adults found substantial differences in shingles diagnoses across birth cohorts, with the sharpest …

Women’s Cardiovascular Assessments Need Comprehensive Considerations

Cardiovascular disease causes more than 400,000 deaths annually among U.S. women, and this public health trend has prompted 4 major medical organizations to collaborate on an updated, comprehensive approach for prevention and treatment. The American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have developed a framework emphasizing cardiovascular risks associated with hormonal changes throughout women’s lives. As published in Circulation, the advisory projects that by …

Infant Protection From Measles Might Wane Sooner Than Expected

A retrospective analysis presented at IDWeek 2026 this month in Washington, D.C., suggests that infants’ maternal protection against measles may decline much earlier than previously believed, leaving many babies susceptible to infection months before their first measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination, which is recommended at age 12–15 months. As reported in meeting coverage from MedPage Today, researchers analyzed measles antibody levels in maternal-infant pairs and found that although infants had higher neutralizing antibody concentrations …

Menopausal Symptoms Prevalent Among Middle-Aged Women

Nearly half of U.S. women ages 40–60 reported experiencing menopausal symptoms during the previous 12 months, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis of the 2025 National Health Interview Survey. The nationally representative survey found that 49.4% of women in this age range, representing approximately 16.7 million women, experienced symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, menstrual irregularities, or vaginal dryness. Symptom prevalence increased with age, from 23.9% …

Heart Failure Rates Doubling In Younger Patients

A 2026 report from the Heart Failure Society of America, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, highlights the growing risk and negative consequences of heart failure (HF) in the United States. Approximately 7.7 million adults (3%) currently have HF—a number projected to reach 11.4 million by 2050. Lifetime risk is approximately 24%, meaning that an individual in the United States has roughly a 1 in 4 chance of developing HF at some point during …

UTI Antibiotic Can Relieve Symptoms In 24 Hours: Study

Gepotidacin, a new oral antibiotic that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2025 for the treatment of female adults and pediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) was found to provide rapid symptom improvement—as early as 24 hours after the first dose—according to results of a clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open. The nonrandomized study enrolled 97 patients at 21 U.S. sites who received gepotidacin …

Patients Believe More Antibiotics Are Better

For many common bacterial infections, shorter antibiotic durations are often as effective and safer than longer duration regimens. However, a national survey published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found that most U.S. adults perceive longer antibiotic courses to be better despite the evidence. Researchers at the University of Utah surveyed 1,475 adults in March–April 2024 about antibiotic use for bacterial respiratory infections. Overall, 60.4% of patients answering the online survey said they preferred courses lasting …

Triage Should Determine Level of Care, Not Arrival Location

In an opinion article published in Academic Emergency Medicine, an emergency medicine professor at the University of Virginia notes that emergency departments (EDs) have become the default destination for nearly all acute, unscheduled care, even when patients do not require emergency-level services. This approach contributes to overcrowding, inefficient resource use, and care delays for patients with life-threatening conditions. The author, R. Andrew Taylor, MD, MHS, proposes a conceptual engineering framework to redefine emergency care according …

Culture, Collaboration Can Influence Antibiotic Prescribing

Antibiotic stewardship initiatives in urgent care may improve prescribing practices beyond just their original objectives, according to a study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. A national quality improvement collaborative involving 92 pediatric urgent care sites examined antibiotic prescribing duration for acute respiratory infections in children aged 6 months–18 years. Researchers analyzed 257,879 encounters involving antibiotic prescriptions between April 2022 and September 2024. Although the program focused on improving first-line antibiotic …

Use of Real-Time Monitors May Offer Advantages For Glycemic Control

A study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that sustained use of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) may improve long-term glycemic control and reduce markers of kidney damage in high-risk adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Researchers analyzed 25,648 patients in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California system, including 2,771 who initiated rtCGM and 22,877 controls who did not use CGM. Participants had a mean baseline hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 9.5%. After 1 year, rtCGM …

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