Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Smart Ring With AI Model Predicts Viral Respiratory Infection

It seems that artificial intelligence (AI) models can detect early acute systemic inflammation in response to viral respiratory tract infections (VRTIs) through biometric data collected from wearable devices, according to a small study published in Lancet Digital Health. In the prospective study, 55 healthy adults aged 18–59 years were monitored before and after receiving a live attenuated influenza vaccine, which simulated real-world infection. Participants continuously wore a smart ring, smart watch, and smart shirt, which …

Pay For Urgent Care Physicians Grows the Most, Although Still Low on the List

A new analysis examining survey data from 37,000 physicians across all healthcare specialties found the average physician reported a 3.7% increase in pay, following a nearly 6% increase from the same survey just a year ago, conducted by physician-networking platform Doximity. The perpetual gender gap—in which women physicians are paid significantly less than their male counterparts—shows no sign of catching up. In this year’s survey, there is a 26% gap between women and men after …

CMS Aspires to Build Ambitious National Provider Directory

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is aiming to construct a healthcare resource that has been notoriously difficult to create: a national provider directory. For decades, policies attempting to hold managed care organizations responsible for keeping up-to-date directories of their in-network physician practices, hospitals, surgery centers, and the like have been impractical for insurers to comply with and nearly impossible for policymakers to enforce. Reports of error-filled “ghost networks” that misrepresent the real-world …

AAP Stands By Flu Vaccination Without Formulation Preference

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is now recommending flu vaccination for all individuals aged 6 months and older for the 2025–2026 season, emphasizing that any age-appropriate vaccine should be delivered without preference for a certain product or formulation, as posted in a prepublication release in Pediatrics. Contrasting with recent federal moves, AAP is advising against avoiding or delaying vaccination in order to seek out specific thimerosal-free options. Although the Centers for Disease Control and …

Long Daytime Naps Associated With Atrial Fibrillation

A prospective cohort study of 20,827 Spanish adults found an association between daytime and nighttime sleep patterns and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), as published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Over a median follow-up of 15.1 years, a total of 163 incident atrial fibrillation cases were confirmed by medical record. Compared to individuals who took short daytime naps (less than 30 minutes a day), those in the study who took long naps …

Looks Like Another Tough Year for Pertussis Cases

This month, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reported 80 pertussis cases for the year so far—well surpassing its total of 49 cases reported in all of 2024. Ten patients have been hospitalized, including 7 children under the age of 2, although no deaths have been recorded through July 10, 2025. Children under 18 account for 76% of Mississippi’s cases, including 7 infants younger than 2 months. At least 28 of the individuals who …

Urgent Care’s Use of Antibiotics, Glucocorticoids, Opioids Not Always Appropriate

In a study that analyzed more than 22 million urgent care visits from 2018 to 2022, researchers assessed prescribing practices across several drug categories with the aim to shed light on opportunities for tailored stewardship programs. Among the total visits across all age groups, antibiotics were prescribed in 12.4% of visits, glucocorticoids in 9.1% of visits, and opioids in 1.3% of visits, as published in Annals of Internal Medicine. However, the authors estimate a substantial …

Measles Cases Keep Climbing, Exceeding Long-Term Records

This month, the United States reached a level of more confirmed measles cases for the year than in any time in the past 30 years. 1990 saw an unusual high of 27,808 measles cases reported with a series of outbreaks in large metro areas. However, subsequent improvement in vaccine policies encouraged higher vaccination rates, which helped dramatically reduce cases over the next few years. Cases dropped to 2,126 by 1992, and measles was declared eliminated …

RSV Vaccine Shows High Effectiveness In Infants

In a study of 31,900 healthy term infants at Kaiser Permanente Northern California during the 2023–2024 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-season, researchers found nirsevimab demonstrated high effectiveness in preventing RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), as published in Pediatrics. Among immunized infants (49.1%), the incidence of RSV-associated LRTD was 6.10 per 1,000 person-years compared to 58.51 in non-immunized infants (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.7%–91.1%; P<0.001). Effectiveness against hospitalized RSV LRTD was 98.0% (95% CI, 85.1%–99.7%). Immunized …

While Some Hesitate, About 40% of Pregnant Moms and Parents Plan to Fully Vaccinate Their Kids

In a national cross-sectional survey analyzing vaccination attitudes during pregnancy and among parents of children aged 0–5 years, researchers found a number of pregnant women and parents may be unsure when it comes to the decision to vaccinate their kids or may refuse some vaccines, as published in JAMA Network Open. In the survey sets, 35-40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they do intend to vaccinate their child as recommended. …

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