Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Fever Phobia: Urgent Fears in Urgent Care

Urgent message: Fear of fever leads many parents to seek urgent care. Addressing their fears should be part of the care of febrile children. DEENA R. ZIMMERMAN, MD, MPH, IBCLC; NAHUM KOVALSKI, MD; BARUCH HAIN, BA; and JOSHUA LIPSITZ, PHD In several studies, researchers have found that a large percentage of parents have fever phobia, or inaccurate beliefs about the harmfulness of an elevated body temperature. Those studies were conducted in primary-care settings, so we …

27-year-old man with a cough and fever

This x-ray was taken on a 27-year-old man with a cough and fever. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be

3-year-old boy with a cough and fever

This x-ray was taken on a 3-year-old boy with a cough and fever. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.

An Age-Based Approach to Fever of Uncertain Origin in the Pediatric Patient

Urgent message: Fever in pediatric patients, while frequent, is rarely the result of a serious illness. Urgent care practitioners must be able to consistently distinguish between serious and benign causes with a minimum of invasive testing. BRENDAN KILBANE, MD, FAAP Introduction Ever is one of the most common chief complaints in pediatric patients who present for urgent evaluation. A surprising number of families continue to suffer from “fever phobia,” with one study noting that 91% …

April 2013

25-year-old female with autism and a 1-week history of fever

The patient, a 25-year-old female with autism, presented with a 1-week history of fever. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be. Diagnosis: The x-ray reveals a foreign body in the right airway (arrow) and an infiltrate in the right lower lobe (circle). Referral to a hospital for extraction of the foreign body and treatment is necessary for this patient. Case presented by Nahum Kovalski, BSc, MDCM, Terem Emergency Medical …

Clinical Challenge: December, 2012

In each issue, JUCM will challenge your diagnostic acumen with a glimpse of x-rays, electrocardiograms, and photographs of dermatologic conditions that real urgent care patients have presented with. If you would like to submit a case for consideration, please email the relevant materials and presenting information to [email protected]. The patient, an 8-year-old male, presented with a cough and fever. Resolution of the case is described on the next page.

32-year-old female presents with cough and fever

The patient, a 32-year-old female, presented with a cough and fever. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis would be.

Clinical Challenge: February, 2012

In each issue, JUCM will challenge your diagnostic acumen with a glimpse of x-rays, electrocardiograms, and photographs of dermatologic conditions that real urgent care patients have presented with. If you would like to submit a case for consideration, please email the relevant materials and presenting information to [email protected] The patient, an otherwise healthy 70-year-old, presented with a fever and cough on the right side of the chest. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider …

21-year-old patient with chest pain on the left side

This 21-year-old patient presented with chest pain on the left side and fever. View the image taken and consider what your diagnosis would be.