Feds’ antipsychotics program fails to reduce prescriptions in assisted living
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 23, 2022
In a federal initiative to reduce unnecessary antipsychotics prescribing, results in assisted living didn’t match the successes seen in nursing homes, a new study reveals.
CDC director calls for agency’s overhaul, citing pandemic performance
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 17, 2022
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reorganize, with a new, action-oriented culture that better serves public health, Director Rochelle Walensky told her staff Wednesday.
Use of common sleep meds nosedives, with 86 percent drop in oldest adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 17, 2022
The use of sleep medications among Americans dropped by 31% just prior to the pandemic, with the steepest decline among adults aged 80 and older, investigators report.
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, Aug. 17
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 17, 2022
Makers of new class of schizophrenia drug expect to file for FDA approval … Precancerous skin lesions common among Medicare beneficiaries: study … Triple therapy halves mortality in patients with severe...
Use of common hospice drugs varies widely by state, highlighting limited guidance
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 16, 2022
Antipsychotics prescribing rates, for example, ranged from 62% for hospice beneficiaries in Oregon to 15% in Oklahoma, investigators say. Five states topped the prescriptions list.
Nearly 40% of older adults look to unconventional medicine to ease symptoms: study
Aug 16, 2022
Older adults are flocking to integrative medicine, but few discuss their choices with a healthcare provider, a new study finds.
CDC’s refreshed COVID guidance zeros in on the vulnerable
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 15, 2022
While easing its public guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is emphasizing a continued focus on protecting at-risk individuals, including the elderly and ill, from infection and poor...
Nursing facilities, nursing assistants lead COVID incidence, state study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 15, 2022
Nursing facilities lead COVID-19 infections in healthcare, and nursing assistants top incidence in occupational subgroups, finds a detailed new data analysis.
Healthcare use rises in the 6 months after severe COVID recovery: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 14, 2022
Persistent post-COVID conditions, including alopecia (hair loss), bronchitis and pulmonary embolism, have driven excess healthcare usage, investigators say.
LED lighting overhaul led to 43 percent falls reduction, Harvard study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2022
Resident falls in two long-term care facilities dropped by 43% after the installation of a dynamic lighting program tuned to natural sleep and wake rhythms.