Clinical

We’ve told you about the very real threat of a tripledemic as the current influenza season progresses, new variants of COVID-19 continue to evolve, and record cases of respiratory syncytial virus occur in various states. Ohio is now wrestling with an additional—and surprising—viral entity. As of this writing, at least 46 cases of measles have been confirmed in children in the Columbus area, according to the city’s health department. There have been no fatalities, but …

In an average year, 35 states reporting “high” or “very high” levels of influenza would be concerning. In the 2022–23 flu season, with record levels of respiratory syncytial virus and new variants COVID-19 continuing to emerge, it’s downright alarming. That’s where we are, though, according to the latest Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The situation is so dire in the Pacific Northwest that KOIN News invoked the …

JUCM News reported nearly a month ago on a scarcity of oral presentations of amoxicillin and clavulanate. Now, as we enter the season of large gatherings in close quarters, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that 29 products from Aurobindo, Hikma, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, and Teva are all continuing to report shortages for undisclosed reasons. Resupply dates vary by supplier, but across the board fulfilment could happen anywhere from late November to early …

As temperatures fall in much of the United States new hospitalizations for COVID-19 are expected to start climbing again, according to projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, as reported in Becker’s Hospital Review, a forecast from the Mayo Clinic says we can expect a steep but short-lived 51.5% increase in new cases between now and December 2. It seems likely, then, that urgent care centers will see an increase in patients …

Updated guidelines for opioid prescribing draw a sharper distinction between prescribing for acute, subacute, and chronic pain than previous iterations—but with prescription drugs accountable for more overdose deaths than any other substance, the question of which urgent care patients should or should not be candidates for opioid prescriptions remains as essential as ever. As noted in an article published by Medpage Today, the new guidance promotes a greater degree of individualized care. They’re partly informed …

Viewed by many as “the fifth vital sign,” pulse oximetry is an essential reading in any number of presentations to urgent care. Now new investigations are amplifying a question many have had for years, though: Does the pulse oximeter work equally well with patients of all skin tones? The Food and Drug Administration says it’s going to look more closely at the matter, but in the meantime, according to an article published by Medpage Today, …

An upsurge in cases of monkeypox earlier this year displaced mainstream media coverage of COVID-19—for a while, anyway. Now that new cases have slowed, that attention has shifted back to concerns for a resurgence of the pandemic and an accompanying increase in other respiratory viruses. Urgent care providers should be aware that certain complications of monkeypox linger, though, as noted in an article just published by JAMA Neurology. Such vigilance could actually aid in retrospective …

Urgent care as an industry has made a firm commitment to reducing inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotics. Most often, we picture a clinician resisting patient demands for a script even though they’re experiencing a viral respiratory infection or fighting the urge to write one just in case a culture comes back positive. According to a Medpage Today article based on data presented at IDWeek, a group of hospitals in Michigan found that taking a step back …

With this flu season expected to be harsher than others in recent years, while respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 are also circulating widely, it will be especially important to ensure that as many Americans as possible are suitably vaccinated. Unfortunately, as was made clearer than ever during the height of the pandemic, some racial and ethnic groups are at greater risk for illness and poor outcomes during viral outbreaks. In fact, according to a new …