Study of Telehealth Use and In-Person Visits During Pandemic Provides Insight on Deferred Care
At the beginning of the pandemic, use of telemedicine surged as many clinicians turned to the technology to continue to see patients in a safe manner. Despite the uptick in telemedicine use, overall medical visits dropped substantially, which raises concern about deferred care, the new research article says.
Solving Healthcare’s Unique Cybersecurity Risks
The risks of cyberattacks on hospitals and other healthcare settings was already high pre-pandemic, as these institutions work with sensitive data, like patient information. But attackers never let an opportunity go to waste, and they’ve already targeted the manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines—including a known attack on Pfizer.
When Face-to-Face Isn’t an Option
For many organizations, this has meant a shift to telehealth. This technology has been available for some time, of course, but was not nearly as widely used as it is today. How can providers make sure they have the know-how to help their patients maintain their care, live healthy lives, and get the medications and treatments they need, all while working with them remotely?
Top 10 Medical Technology Hazards of 2021 Show Impact of Pandemic
Complexity of managing medical devices with COVID-19 emergency use authorization (EUA) are the leading medical technology hazard for 2021, according to the ECRI Institute. Other top concerns of ECRI’s latest such report include reliance on consumer-grade products for important healthcare decisions and hasty deployment of UV disinfection devices, which can reduce effectiveness and increase exposure risks.
ECRI Q&A Provides Lessons Learned on Vaccine Rollout
You will need space to take a patient history (including any previous allergic or anaphylactic reactions to food, drugs, or insects), to administer the vaccine, to provide at least 15 minutes of observation for adverse reactions afterward, and an area to care for anyone who does have a reaction—all while maintaining the same social-distancing and infectious-disease precautions you’ve had since the pandemic began.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 21 – The Vital Role of Environmental Services in Healthcare
On episode 21 of PSQH: The Podcast, Steve Zimmerman, director of health care services for ServiceMaster Clean, talks about the important role that Environmental Services plays in healthcare facilities. This episode is sponsored by ServiceMaster Clean.
Lack of Patient Portal Use Could Hamper COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling for Seniors
The poll, which is based at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, also shows that the some of the widest gaps in patient portal usage are among older adults who are at the highest risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19.
Missed Cancer Screening During Coronavirus Pandemic Raises Alarm
People have been deferring care during the pandemic due to fear of contracting the coronavirus in healthcare settings. For five kinds of cancer, reduced cancer screening linked to the coronavirus pandemic has likely led to thousands of delayed cancer diagnoses, according to an IQVIA Institute report. For the three-month period ending June 5, 2020, the IQVIA Institute estimates there could have been more than 80,000 delayed positive diagnoses for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.
Survey Respondents: 69% Say They Want to Get Coronavirus Vaccine
Vaccination hesitancy among the American public is one of the primary challenges facing the coronavirus vaccination effort across the country. Vaccination is widely viewed as essential to controlling the coronavirus through herd immunity, which occurs when a large proportion of a population develops resistance to an infection.
Hospitals Must Prepare as Security and Privacy Concerns Increase in 2021
Tim Tindle, chief information officer and chief information security officer for the clinical communications company Spok, talks about the changed landscape for healthcare security and privacy in 2021.