Breathing spreads TB more than cough, groundbreaking study reveals
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 29, 2021
Fully 90% of infectious tuberculosis droplets are expelled by breathing alone, finds a study that may contradict decades of clinical teaching.
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Oct. 28
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2021
New guidance affirms providers’ right to reject religious exemptions for COVID vaccinations due to ‘undue hardship’ … CDC: Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose approved for some immunocompromised people...
Urinary test cuts antibiotics use in pneumonia, pharmacists say
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2021
Urinary antigen tests led to earlier discontinuation of certain antibiotics and shorter acute care stays in patients with pneumonia, a new study finds.
Robotic pets boost mood scores in dementia, day center study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2021
Not only did measures of mood, behaviors and cognition improve in attendees with dementia, but the robot pets provided participants with an alternative way to express themselves, researchers say.
Nursing homes’ infection control oversight still called feds’ No. 1 problem
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 28, 2021
A federal watchdog agency remains hot on its investigation of nursing homes’ compliance with infection control regulations — and how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services oversees their progress.
Statins have no effect on COVID-19 mortality, Johns Hopkins study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 27, 2021
Statins made no difference in COVID-19 mortality — positive or negative — among 4,500 hospitalized patients, countering previous findings.
Brief training for LTC nurses leads to 6 months of reduced psychotropics use
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2021
Wards with trained nurses showed a significant reduction in psychotropic drug use and drug costs. Maintenance strategies may be needed, however, as the improvements had waned by 12 months, researchers...
At-home COVID-19 tests get a $70M boost as feds push to increase access
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 27, 2021
The Biden Administration is streamlining the process to bring new tests to market among other moves designed to increase testing supplies and access.
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, Oct 27
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2021
Tech Awards Gold goes to Erickson Senior Living for infectious disease management system … Delta variant did not increase COVID-19 severity in hospitalized patients: study … CDC report underscores...
Roche’s eye implant may reduce vision loss treatment time for seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2021
The FDA has approved an ocular implant that could reduce the treatment schedule from monthly to twice yearly for older adults with “wet” macular degeneration.