Nearly Half of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Discharged in Declining Shape
Nearly half of COVID-19 patients left the hospital with significant functional decline post-discharge, a new study from Michigan Medicine found. Of those survivors who suffered functional decline, 80% were referred for additional therapy after discharge. Nearly 20% of all patients declined to the point that they were no longer able to live independently.
California HHS Rebuffs CDC, Extends Mask Guidance Through Mid-June
California state health officials announced this week that they will extend a mask mandate through June 15, despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that lifted many of the restrictions for fully vaccinated people.
Conducting Field Visits During COVID-19
Shannon Ford, senior manager of human-centered design with Alluma, spoke at Health Experience Design 2021 recently to discuss how her team used technology and adaptability to conduct field visits when in-person observation became untenable. The field visits were part of in-context observation, shadowing, and interviews, all meant to help put together an application and implementation enrollment process for a healthcare coverage system.
The COVID Vaccine Pause: A Case for Greater Patient Engagement
In several early cases of J&J vaccine blood clotting, patients were treated with heparin, which is a normal treatment for blood clots; however, in these cases the heparin worsened the situation. The pause helped educate hospitals and health systems going forward on how to treat similar symptoms in those with the J&J dose.
A Year of COVID-19 Data: Lessons Learned
Researchers have begun to dig into the results of this data collection and identified trends that have helped them understand mortality rates during the pandemic and beyond. BD recently published two papers on specific data discoveries during COVID-19, and Kalvin Yu, MD, FIDSA, senior medical director with BD, discusses some of the key takeaways from that research.
CDC Mask Guidelines are Based on ‘Incomplete Data,’ Nurses Union Says
New mask guidelines issued last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) are based on incomplete data and dangerous assumptions, National Nurses United (NNU) said in a press conference Wednesday.
Don’t Change Policies Yet on Masking Inside Your Facility
The CDC’s recent new guidance to the general public that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks indoors does not apply to healthcare settings, warns the American Hospital Association (AHA).
New CMS Vaccines Rule Soon May Apply to More Facilities
The changes to the Conditions of Participation (CoP) for those facilities primarily require vaccines to be offered to residents, clients, and staff when available. They also set education and CDC reporting requirements. While the rule covers only those two types of facilities so far, CMS notes in the rule it may want to expand those requirements to other healthcare organizations, including psychiatric hospitals and inpatient hospice facilities.
Tips for Opening a Field Hospital During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Several states across the country have had to open field hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic to accommodate COVID-19 patient surges. A common strategy has been to use field hospitals to treat low-acuity COVID-19 patients who can be transferred from hospitals and cared for safely before being discharged home.
Treat Coronavirus ‘Long Haulers’ With Multidisciplinary and Comprehensive Approach
In October, Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, and West Orange, New Jersey-based RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group launched the Post-COVID Comprehensive Assessment, Recovery and Evaluation (CARE) program to care for long-hauler patients. Over the past seven months, the Post-COVID CARE program has treated more than 120 patients.