Clinical

Cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) have not matched recent outbreaks of influenza and measles in numbers or potential for fatalities, but may be more confounding for physicians and public health officials for one simple reason: While we understand flu and measles and have a bead on why more cases are occurring, AFM continues to be somewhat of a mystery. With the peak season (late summer into early autumn) for new cases of AFM approaching, …

JUCM, the Urgent Care Association, the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, and countless state and local health agencies have been beating the “antibiotic stewardship” drum for quite some time now, as data continue to show the high prevalence of drug-resistant organisms (and the equally high cost, in terms of resultant hospitalizations and deaths). New data from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) show awareness and stewardship interventions can be effective in curbing inappropriate use …

High-profile cases have made it clear that sexual assaults are more common than many of us may have assumed. We’re no longer “safe” to assume that if we haven’t heard more about them, they’re simply not happening. On the flip side, victims of sexual assault may now be more empowered to come forward earlier. Some may get themselves to the emergency room, or call the police as a first step. Because of the expectation of …

The opioid crisis in the United States has moved many healthcare facilities, providers, and governing bodies to consider just how often (and for how long) it’s really necessary to prescribe narcotics for acute pain. If new data just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are any indication, the correct answer may be, “not very often.” In this study, researchers compared three different opioids vs one opioid-free analgesic for relief of severe, acute …

Outbreaks of disease caused by the Cryptosporidium parasite (a key symptom of which is diarrhea) shot up an average of 13% annually between 2009 and 2017, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s now the top cause of disease outbreaks via water in the U.S. There were 444 outbreaks over the study period, resulting in hundreds of hospitalizations and one fatality. Around 35% of the outbreaks were linked …

The recently concluded meeting of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) resulted in a few major developments on the vaccine front: Serogroup B Meningococcal (MenB) Vaccine ACIP has recommended MenB vaccine boosters in the past for patients between 16 and 23 years of age. However, recent outbreaks prompted discussion of whether that was adequate; ultimately, the committee decided it is not and now says children 10-years-old and up should receive …

Just as sure as your dog will be cowering in the corner once fireworks start booming, urgent care centers can expect to see a range of injuries related to “celebrations” gone awry in the coming days. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the most common injuries occur to hands and fingers, followed by the head and face, the legs, and the eyes. Last year, Independence Day sent roughly 9,100 people to emergency rooms. The …

In a flu season that has been classified as the worst in decades, influenza vaccinations prevented anywhere from 40,000 to 90,000 hospitalizations according to data just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effectiveness data are less straightforward; the 2018–2019 vaccine was 29% effective overall. That figure is deceptively low, however, in that the CDC says this year’s vaccine offered “no significant protection” against H3N2 influenza, but lowered the risk of H1N1 …

It’s an inescapable, irrefutable fact that too many clinicians are writing too many prescriptions for unwarranted antibiotics in the United States. We all know the consequences, too; around 23,000 Americans die every year from drug-resistant infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Urgent care certainly is not immune to the misguided practice, but as an industry we’re taking strong steps to reverse the trend. The most recent development: The Urgent Care Association, …

The key to safer, appropriate use of antibiotics may lie in something as simple as better education for both physicians and patients, according to a new study published in Academic Emergency Medicine. Funded by a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers at UC Davis saw inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotics fall by one third in nine emergency departments and urgent care centers in California and Colorado after introducing one of two educational …