Modern Healthcare: Persistent Shortages of Physicians and Nurses - Causes and Solutions
Training bottlenecks, uneven distribution of certain providers and expected regulation are adding roadblocks to efforts to tackle pervasive staffing shortages throughout healthcare. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis predicts that by 2036 the industry will have shortages of more than 68,000 primary care physicians, 62,400 psychologists, 42,100 psychiatrists, 6,600 obstetrician-gynecologists and 33,100 family medicine physicians, in addition to deficits of other specialties. (Devereaux, 3/7)
Children's Emergency Room Visits Surge Fourfold Due to Accidental Melatonin Ingestion, Reports The Wall Street Journal
More parents with young children are taking melatonin to sleep. And some of them are going to the emergency room after their children took melatonin accidentally. The number of children who visited emergency rooms for unsupervised melatonin consumption increased 420% from 2009-2020, federal data showed. Melatonin was implicated in some 7% of recent E.R. visits for children 5 and younger who had taken medication without supervision. (Wernau, 3/7)
Study Finds Hospitals 'Failing Children With Sickle Cell Anemia,' Reports Becker's Hospital Review
Research has emerged from experts at Children's Hospital Los Angeles revealing gaps in preventative care for children with sickle cell anemia, according to a March 6 news release. Children with the inherited disorder are more prone to stroke and catching severe infections. Despite that, only 50% of children between ages 2 and 15 with the disorder are given annual transcranial Doppler ultrasounds, which are used to identify conditions that affect blood flow to the brain. Additionally, only 20% of children up to age 5 are prescribed preventative antibiotics to prevent infection, according to the study, which was published March 6 in Pediatrics. (Hollowell, 3/6)
ProPublica: Failure of U.S. Government to Halt Spread of Syphilis Leading to Infant Mortality
Karmin Strohfus, the lead nurse at a South Dakota jail, punched numbers into a phone like lives depended on it. She had in her care a pregnant woman with syphilis, a highly contagious, potentially fatal infection that can pass into the womb. A treatment could cure the woman and protect her fetus, but she couldn’t find it in stock at any pharmacy she called — not in Hughes County, not even anywhere within an hour’s drive. Most people held at the jail where Strohfus works are released within a few days. “What happens if she gets out before I’m able to treat her?” she worried. Exasperated, Strohfus reached out to the state health department, which came through with one dose. The treatment required three. (Barry-Jester, 3/4)
CNN: Study Shows Single LSD Dose Offers Immediate and Long-Lasting Anxiety Relief
A clinical trial’s encouraging results won US Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapy status for an LSD formulation to treat generalized anxiety disorder, Mind Medicine Inc. announced Thursday. The biopharmaceutical company is developing the drug. (LaMotte, 3/7)
NPR: Domestic Violence Can Result in Distinct Patterns of Brain Damage from Traumatic Brain Injury
About one in three women and a smaller proportion of men say they've experienced severe physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Studies suggest most women in this group have sustained at least one mild TBI, a brain injury commonly known as a concussion. The symptoms usually resemble those seen in sports or the military: headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensitivity to noise and light, and problems with memory and thinking. (Hamilton, 3/8)
KFF Health News: The Challenge of Addressing Gun Violence in America, Even for Public Health Experts
Gun violence has exploded across the U.S. in recent years — from mass shootings at concerts and supermarkets to school fights settled with a bullet after the last bell. Nearly every day of 2024 so far has brought more violence. On Feb. 14, gunfire broke out at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City, killing one woman and injuring 22 others. Most events draw little attention — while the injuries and toll pile up. Gun violence is among America’s most deadly and costly public health crises. (Spolar, 3/6)
Los Angeles Times: Contentious Custody Dispute Over Transgender Child in California Sparks Widespread Debate
Adam Vena claims California took his child because he wouldn't accept the child is transgender went viral. The case is far more complicated than that. (Rector and Mejia, 3/4)
The Washington Post: Expert Advice on Determining When You're No Longer Contagious With Covid
The United States has entered a different stage in the pandemic. Four years after the virus emerged, the covid-19 landscape has changed dramatically. ... So now you’ve got covid-19. When can you exit isolation? If you do resume activities outside your home, can you be sure you’re no longer contagious? The important thing to consider, experts say, is that every person and every case of covid is unique. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how sick a person will get or how long a person remains infectious. The guidelines offer a framework, but patients should take into account their circumstances, priorities and resources to assess risk. (Sun and Achenbach, 3/2)
CIDRAP: Elevated Levels of Respiratory Viruses Persist in the U.S. as Flu Cases Increase in Central States
Respiratory illness levels in the United States remained high but stable last week, with flu activity rising in some regions of the country and indicators declining for both COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest data updates. (3/1)
The Seattle Times: The Increasing Vulnerability of Health Care to Cybercriminals
Cyberattacks of all sorts have plagued large corporations, small businesses and individuals for decades now, but in the past several years, health care has become a top target, according to federal and local cybersecurity experts. These organizations hold a massive amount of patient data — including medical records, financial information, Social Security numbers, names and addresses. They’re also among the few businesses that stay open 24/7, meaning they might be more likely to prioritize avoiding disruptions and, therefore, more likely to pay a hacker’s ransom. (Takahama, 3/1)