Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Pitfalls of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)—A Perspective

Urgent message: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is well established as an imaging tool in the urgent care center. Although it is generally considered safe and easy to use, safety and hygiene considerations are frequently ignored—possibly leaving patients at risk for infection and excessive radiation exposure. Avijit Barai MBBS, MRCS, MSc, PgCertCPU, FRNZCUC; Martin Necas, MMedSonography, AMS, RDMS, MRT, RVT; and Bruce Lambie, MBBS, FACEM INTRODUCTION Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is well established as an imaging tool in …

National Urgent Care Clinical Quality Metrics: ‘This is the Way’

Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. This quotation, commonly attributed to Dr. W. Edwards Deming,1 has never been more relevant for urgent care (UC) than right now. Considered the original guru of quality improvement, Dr. Deming was explaining why systems must be redesigned if the desired outcomes are not being achieved. The existing “system” for measuring clinical quality in UC needs an overhaul. It is fragmented and underdeveloped, and lacks …

Making Antibiotic Resistance Awareness a Priority—A COVID-Created Opportunity

It’s a conversation I’ve had endless times. One that I’ve honed and refined stepwise over time, and one that my patients often tell me they hadn’t considered before: the appropriate use and overuse of antibiotics. And right now, with patients hyper-focused on healthy immune systems, medical providers are uniquely positioned to build antibiotic stewardship into our diagnostic process and significantly increase resistance awareness nationwide. Process and Priorities A year ago, my approach to sharing a …

Overcoming the Trauma of Making a Medical Error: Self-forgiveness is an Important Skill for Recovery

Have you ever made a mistake while practicing medicine that negatively affected somebody’s life? Even if you haven’t yet, you probably will if you practice long enough. Have you thought of how you will recover afterwards? Fatal errors can affect healthcare providers all through their career.1 Self-forgiveness after a medical error facilitates open mindedness, recovery from trauma, relief of mental and emotional anguish, re-engagement, growth, and regained appreciation for life.2 It is prudent for healthcare …

Finding Urgent Care (and the Value of Recognizing a Specialty)

I arrived in New Zealand 11 years ago, a doctor without direction and certainly with no inkling of urgent care. I was one of those doctors who had always hoped to find their ultimate career path whilst at university. Alas, whilst I was able to remove some options (here’s looking at you Ob/Gyn) no single specialty sufficiently inspired me to follow that rabbit hole through to its conclusion. So, my medical career began with an …

The Challenge of Inequity in Urgent Care Medicine: A Call to Action

Lindsey E. Fish, MD The young black couple walked into our urgent care clinic, eyes wide and filled with fear, hope, and expectation. Wrapped in her mother’s arms was their 3-day-old beautiful baby girl, a child born in the midst of two scourges—the COVID-19 pandemic that was sweeping our country and world, and the pandemic of racial inequity that was surfacing due to peaceful protests and violent riots occurring throughout our cities and rural communities …

Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Urgent Care: A Game Changer for the Practice—and the Practitioner

Knowledge, wisdom, and passion were key players in my pursuit of a career in medicine. As point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) incorporates both the science and the art of medicine, it has rekindled my passion for medicine, greatly expanding my clinical knowledge. A few weeks ago, a young man presented complaining of 24 hours of shortness of breath and chest pain. His triage painted the picture of a panic attack. After completing the history and physical exam, …

Dealing with an Epidemic of Information in the Midst of a Pandemic

We are in an unprecedented time in medicine as we face a pandemic of an emerging viral disease spreading rapidly across the world. Information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic is also expanding at lightning speed. This leads to an overabundance of information which can alter our decision-making abilities. This editorial will help the reader develop a plan to manage excessive information and misinformation. We’ve all about had it. Too many patients, too many worried well, not …

COVID-19 Considerations in the Urgent Care Clinic

COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has swept the country and world in rapid and unprecedented fashion. While much of the news coverage and scientific studies have focused on hospital needs and demands, as well as patient care in hospital settings, urgent care (UC) clinics remain on the front lines too. In fact, many UC clinics are seeing an increase in demand from patients with COVID-19 symptoms. Additional patient volume increases may come from changes in operations at other …