Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Addressing Congenital Syphilis With Point-of-Care Testing in Urgent Care

Urgent Message: Urgent care centers can help prevent congenital syphilis by screening pregnant patients lacking prenatal records, confirming reactive point-of-care results, and administering penicillin when follow-up is uncertain. Amir Reza Tehrani, BS; Glenn E. Harnett, MD; Jeffrey D. Klausner, MD, MPH Keywords: syphilis screening; congenital syphilis; point-of-care testing; sexually transmitted infections; pregnant patients; urgent care; rapid diagnostics Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this review is to use clinical, operational, and economic evidence to support integrating …

POC Test Helps Identify What’s Causing That Sore Throat

Sore throat is among the top complaints presenting to urgent care, and determining the best options for treatment is essential to avoid unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, according to a study recently published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. In a small sample of 200 urgent care patients with acute pharyngitis or fever—including pediatric and higher-risk adult populations—researchers evaluated a rapid multiplex nucleic acid amplification test that detects 14 bacterial and viral pathogens. At least 1 pathogen was …

POC Viral Testing and Stewardship Reduces Antibiotic Prescribing in UC

Researchers found combining a 15-pathogen point-of-care (POC) respiratory viral panel with an antimicrobial stewardship intervention program resulted in reduced antibiotic prescribing in an urgent care setting in Louisiana, as published in Microbiology Spectrum. Alongside the stewardship program—which included patient education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s MITIGATE tool kit—the POC panel was used for 296 adult patients, and results were compared with 600 seasonally matched historical controls. Overall antibiotic prescribing decreased from 38.2% …

Abstracts in Urgent Care – July/August 2023

Download the article PDF: Abstracts in Urgent Care – July/August 2023 Lyme Disease Diagnosis in Children of Different Racial Groups Take-home point: Black children with Lyme disease were more likely to have arthritis rather than cutaneous findings at the time of diagnosis. Citation: Hunt K, Michelson K, Balamuth M, et al. Racial differences in the diagnosis of Lyme disease in children. Clin Infect Dis. 2023;76(6):1129-1131. Relevance: Erythema migrans (EM) is commonly felt to represent the …

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