CDC: Coronavirus Can Be Spread Through Airborne Transmission
The CDC emphasized that most infections come from close contact or touching contaminated surfaces, rather than airborne transmission. And that while it is possible for COVID-19 to infect others more than 6 feet away, it only does so under certain circumstances—such as in within enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation, or when the infected person was breathing heavily.
Coronavirus: Nursing Home Study Finds Alarming Shortages of Staff and PPE
Through July, nearly half of the country’s COVID-19 deaths had occurred in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities, with 60,000 deaths. The virus also has taken a heavy toll on long-term care healthcare workers, with 760 deaths through July.
5 AMA Resources to Promote Physician Wellbeing
Research published in September 2018 indicated that nearly half of physicians nationwide were experiencing burnout symptoms. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new burdens on physicians, including high mortality among coronavirus patients, and worry over contracting the virus and infecting family members.
HHS Releases Update on Ryuk Ransomware Threat
One health system that was recently attacked was Universal Health Services, Inc. UHS had to temporarily shut down user access to IT applications due to a malware cyberattack last weekend. BleepingComputer has reported the attack was done by the Ryuk ransomware, but UHS has not yet confirmed the source of the attack.
HFAP: Problems Continue With Physical Environment, IC, Quality
In late August, the oldest of the accrediting organizations released its 2020 HFAP Quality Review, highlighting the problems and trends identified by surveyors during on-site visits in 2019 at acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, laboratories, and ambulatory surgery centers.
New 4-Part Plan Proposed to Boost Clinician Wellness, Address Burnout
Burnout is one of the top challenges facing clinicians and other healthcare workers nationwide. In a report published last week by The Physicians Foundation, 30% of more than 2,300 physicians surveyed cited feelings of hopelessness or having no purpose due to changes in their practices related to the coronavirus pandemic. Research published in September 2018 indicates that nearly half of physicians across the country are experiencing burnout symptoms.
Coronavirus: Virtual Hospital at Home Program Used for Low-Acuity Patients
Although there are therapeutics for treating seriously ill COVID-19 patients in the inpatient setting—remdesivir and dexamethasone—there are no therapeutics that have been found effective in treating coronavirus patients in the outpatient setting. Given that limitation, monitoring low-acuity COVID-19 patients at home is a viable option.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 12 – Health IT and Quality Improvement
On episode 12 of PSQH: The Podcast, host Jay Kumar talks to Marc Probst, chief information officer of ELLKAY, about health IT trends and how COVID-19 is spurring innovation.
Study: COVID-19 Death Count Doesn’t Capture ‘True Mortality Effects’
A study by researchers at the University of South Florida and published in the Journal of Public Health suggests that measuring “years of life lost” is a better metric than deaths, because it accounts for the range of ages of the people who’ve died from COVID-19.
Signs of an ‘October Vaccine Surprise’ Alarm Career Scientists
In podcasts, public forums, social media and medical journals, a growing number of prominent health leaders say they fear that President Trump — who has repeatedly signaled his desire for the swift approval of a vaccine and his displeasure with perceived delays at the FDA — will take matters into his own hands, running roughshod over the usual regulatory process.