Urgent care clinics are inappropriately prescribing pills, research shows | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentNext articleIndependent Bulletin homepageSocial PartnerWe are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJulia MustoThursday 24 July 2025 00:02 BSTUrgent Care vs. Emergency RoomUrgent care clinics in the US are reportedly overprescribing antibiotics, glucocorticoids, and opioids for conditions they are not meant to treat, potentially causing harm.A study analyzing over 22 million urgent care visits between 2018 and 2022 found millions of prescriptions for these drugs, with a substantial number deemed inappropriate for the patients' diagnoses.Specific instances of inappropriate prescribing included 46 percent of patients with urinary symptoms receiving unnecessary antibiotics and 41 percent of bronchitis patients getting inappropriate glucocorticoids.Researchers suggest that factors contributing to this issue include clinicians' knowledge gaps, patient demand, and a lack of comprehensive information systems to support prescribing decisions.Proposed solutions to mitigate inappropriate prescribing involve implementing drug stewardship programs, utilizing electronic health records more effectively, and providing further medication education for healthcare providers.In fullUrgent care clinics are pushing pain pills that do little to treat conditions, new study findsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in