A new study has revealed that urgent care clinics are prescribing high volumes of painkillers and other drugs that may be inappropriate for patients' conditions. Researchers found that a substantial number of antibiotic, glucocorticoid, and opioid prescriptions were filled despite being deemed unsuitable given the diagnoses, potentially causing harm.
The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, analysed data from more than 22 million urgent care visits between 2018 and 2022. It found nearly 2.8 million antibiotic prescriptions, over 2 million glucocorticoid prescriptions, and 299,210 opioid prescriptions. Of these, significant fractions were categorised as 'never appropriate' or 'generally inappropriate' for the conditions treated.
For example, 46 per cent of patients with urinary symptoms received inappropriate antibiotics, and 41 per cent of bronchitis patients received inappropriate glucocorticoids. The researchers suggest that factors such as clinician knowledge, patient demand, and lack of decision-support systems may contribute to this trend.
Dr. Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, stated: 'Our findings reveal that this trend of inappropriate prescribing includes other classes of drugs — including glucocorticoids — and a variety of conditions.'
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University, commented: 'I think that opioids are generally overprescribed when the medical staff under appreciates the risks.' He noted that while opioid prescribing has improved overall, urgent care settings still have a long way to go.
The researchers recommend drug stewardship programmes, better use of electronic health records, and enhanced medication education to reduce inappropriate prescribing. 'Providers at urgent centres would benefit from greater support and feedback in making these decisions,' Cohen-Mekelburg added.
