Preparing for Pandemic Influenza in the Urgent Care Setting

Preparing for Pandemic Influenza in the Urgent Care Setting

Urgent message: Between the current – and still growing – volume of H1N1 flu cases and fast-approaching influenza season, the urgent care physician will be challenged to distinguish among a variety of common cold and influenza-like conditions. Gary Klein, MD, MPH, MBA, CHS-V, FAADM Introduction The mainstream media have certainly accomplished the mission of alerting the public to the dangers of H1N1 flu – perhaps to the point that many are tempted to dismiss their …

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The Case of a 37-Year-Old Female with Flu-like Symptoms

The Case of a 37-Year-Old Female with Flu-like Symptoms

In primary care medicine, patients’ symptoms are approached from the “front door;” what are the most likely causes? Urgent care medicine often starts with a “back door” approach; think “worst first,” then proceed backward through the differential after excluding life threatening causes. Urgent care does not have the luxury of an established patient relationship or defined return visit we often have only one chance to get it right! The differential for an urgent care patient …

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