What is Pediatric Urgent Care?

The landscape of healthcare options in the United States has undergone significant expansion, further accelerated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. One emerging model is the Pediatric Urgent Care (PUC), with roots dating back to the 1980s¹ and a notable increase to approximately 1,600 sites in the U.S. as of 2017².

PUCs play a key role in bridging the gap between Primary Care settings and Emergency Departments (EDs). Central to their growth is the convenience they offer to patients and families. While primary care may have limited timing and availability, emergency rooms often entail longer waits¹. Moreover, there is a substantial financial cost for parents or caregivers waiting in the waiting room, estimated at $43 for an average 2-hour visit in 2015 ($56 in 2024 dollars), surpassing the average out-of-pocket copay at that time of $32³ .

Distinguishing themselves from traditional urgent care, PUCs specialize in pediatrics (<21 years of age).  “Children are not small adults” is a familiar refrain to many pediatricians that has relevance in Urgent Care.  Recognizing the unique needs of children, PUCs have providers with extensive pediatric training and are equipped with pediatric-specific tools⁴. While primary care and emergency rooms remain optimal in specific cases, particularly for newborns (<2 months old), PUCs occupy a vital niche, offering convenience and specialized care for a range of scenarios ^5,6,7,8.

What role do Pediatric Urgent Cares play during surges of viral illness?

PUCs have played a key role in treating patients during outbreaks of viral illness such as H1N1 influenza, Zika, and the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, a hospital-affiliated PUC system in Kansas City witnessed PUC volumes surpassing those of the Emergency Department⁹. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PUCs emerged as vital hubs  for care, testing, and evidence-based guidance. The first case of community spread COVID-19 was identified at a Seattle-based PUC, underscoring the PUC’s role as a critical front-line provider and public health contributor through disease surveillance¹⁰. PUCs with laboratory capabilities developed protocols for recognizing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare inflammatory syndrome in children associated with SARS-CoV-2^11,12.

Given the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic on our healthcare system and the closing of many pediatric hospitals across the US¹³, healthcare facilities are compelled to achieve more with fewer resources. Effective outpatient diagnosis in settings like PUCs facilitates optimal patient management, steering clear of unnecessary ED visits and enabling higher acuity care through streamlined information sharing.

What viral respiratory illnesses may be encountered in this setting?

A whole range of viruses cause respiratory illness in children, these include rhinovirus, metapneumovirus, RSV, SAR-CoV-2, Influenza, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, parechovirus, enterovirus, among others. During the winter of 2022-2023, we experienced a ‘Triple-demic’ of flu, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV; with a high number RSV pediatric emergency visits¹⁴. Diagnosing the specific agents responsible for respiratory illnesses is challenging due to the often-overlapping symptoms of many viral infections¹⁵. Thus, alongside a comprehensive medical history and a clinical exam; diagnostic testing is a critical tool to make accurate, timely diagnoses and optimize isolation procedures and patient management.

What types of tests are used for diagnosing respiratory illness?

For diagnosing respiratory illnesses, two commonly used types of tests are antigen tests and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). During the COVID 19 pandemic, home-based antigen tests became popular which were widely distributed free-of-charge¹⁶. Antigen tests look for a protein on the virus; nucleocapsid protein (N) on SARS-CoV-2 for example¹⁷. Antigen tests are known for their speed, cost-effectiveness, and suitability for screening. However, antigen tests often miss infections (false negatives); particularly so for RSV, where sensitivity (the ability of the test to find infected individuals) can be <80%^18,19. Viral loads tend to be lower early on in viral infection; for instance, SARS-CoV-2 antigen positivity may lag PCR positivity by 1-2 days²⁰. Due to relatively lower sensitivity compared to PCR, a negative antigen test cannot rule out the possibility of infection.

On the other hand, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) utilize polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or Isothermal amplification detect viral nucleic acids. PCR is considered the gold standard method for viral illness because of its very high sensitivity. Isothermal amplification tests generally fall in between PCR and antigen tests in terms of sensitivity^21,22, but can have advantages of speed, cost, and ease of use. Early versions of PCR tests required specialized personnel and equipment; thus, limiting their use to hospital labs with result turnaround times of 1-2 hours. Longer turnaround time and test complexity largely prevented conventional PCR tests from being used in outpatient settings such as PUCs.

Next-generation point-of-care PCR tests

Over years of technical development and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, PCR testing has transitioned from specialized hospital labs to near patient settings; with point-of-care (POC) PCR tests reaching some clinics. POC PCR tests seamlessly blend the gold standard accuracy of PCR with significantly enhanced speed and ease of use. The latest PCR test panels are designed to detect multiple pathogens from a single patient sample; helping to address the inherent difficulty of respiratory diagnosis due to overlapping symptoms. By rapidly testing for multiple pathogens with high accuracy, next-generation PCR tests promise better patient care, infection control, and patient management. The rapid delivery of accurate results enables clinicians to promptly administer tailored treatment to the appropriate patient, such as initiating antiviral medications when necessary and preventing unnecessary antibiotic overuse. While research is in an early phase, given the recent development of rapid POC PCR tests, some studies have hinted at possible benefits. For instance, one study found improved antiviral prescriptions with POC PCR in an urgent care setting²³. Ideally, with improved diagnostic tools, parents and children have fewer return visits, more peace of mind with a confirmed diagnosis, and an expedited journey toward recovery.

References

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Sankrithi, Usha, and Jeffrey Schor. “Pediatric urgent care—new and evolving paradigms of acute care.” Pediatric Clinics 65.6 (2018): 1257-1268
            2. Zhao, Xian, et al. “Pediatric urgent care education: a survey-based needs assessment.” BMC health services research 19.1 (2019): 1-6
            3. Ray, Kristin N., et al. “Opportunity costs of ambulatory medical care in the United States.” The American journal of managed care 21.8 (2015): 567
            4. Montalbano A, Lee B. Preparedness for emergencies in pediatric urgent care settings. J Urgent Care Med. 2020;15(1)
            5. Conners, Gregory P., et al. “Nonemergency acute care: when it’s not the medical home.” Pediatrics 139.5 (2017)
            6. https://www.choa.org/parent-resources/caring-for-your-kid-at-home/what-can-be-treated-at-a-pediatric-urgent-care
            7. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/urgent-care-versus-the-er-a-pediatrician-offers-tips-on-making-the-right-choice
            8. https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/pediatrics-articles/emergency-room-urgent-care-pediatrician
            9. Conners, Gregory P., et al. “Was the pediatric emergency department or pediatric urgent care center setting more affected by the fall 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak?.” Clinical pediatrics 50.8 (2011): 764-766
            10. https://www.jucm.com/a-million-tests-later-perspectives-on-covid-19-testing-in-pediatric-urgent-care/
            11. https://www.jucm.com/why-is-the-waiting-room-still-empty-perspectives-from-a-pediatric-urgent-care-physician/
            12. https://www.jucm.com/multisystem-inflammatory-syndrome-in-children-mis-c-who-should-not-be-misced/
            13. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/11/health/pediatric-closures-hospitals.html
            14. Janke, Alexander T., et al. “Emergency Department Care for Children During the 2022 Viral Respiratory Illness Surge.” JAMA Network Open 6.12 (2023): e2346769-e2346769.
            15. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/well/covid-flu-rsv-symptoms.html
            16. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/14/fact-sheet-the-biden-administration-to-begin-distributing-at-home-rapid-covid-19-tests-to-americans-for-free/
            17. https://asm.org/articles/2020/april/covid-19-testing-faqs/
            18. Ferrani, Salim, et al. “Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid antigen triple test (SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza) using anterior nasal swabs versus multiplex RT-PCR in children in an emergency department.” Infectious Diseases Now 53.7 (2023): 104769
            19. Bernstein, David I., et al. “Summarizing Study Characteristics and Diagnostic Performance of Commercially Available Tests for Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A Scoping Literature Review in the COVID-19 Era.” The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine 8.2 (2023): 353-371
            20. Puhach, Olha, Benjamin Meyer, and Isabella Eckerle. “SARS-CoV-2 viral load and shedding kinetics.” Nature Reviews Microbiology 21.3 (2023): 147-161
            21. Rhoads, Daniel D., et al. “Comparison of Abbott ID Now, DiaSorin Simplexa, and CDC FDA emergency use authorization methods for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal and nasal swabs from individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.” Journal of clinical microbiology 58.8 (2020): 10-1128
            22. Han, Eunhee, et al. “Analytical performance of the Abbott ID NOW 2.0 assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection in clinical samples from symptomatic patients.” Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 108.3 (2024): 116164.
            23. Benirschke, Robert C., et al. “Clinical impact of rapid point-of-care PCR influenza testing in an urgent care setting: a single-center study.” Journal of clinical microbiology 57.3 (2019): 10-1128.