Advance care planning rose dramatically among minorities through intervention, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 25, 2022
Older patients were more likely to record their end-of-life care wishes when they watched educational videos and received clinical counsel during the pandemic, a new study finds. Documentation among Black...
Ouch: Falls injuries continue to rise among U.S. seniors, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 24, 2022
Despite ongoing prevention efforts, falls injury rates are increasing by 1.5% annually among older adults, Medicare claims show. Limitations in long-term care coverage don’t help, investigators say.
Supreme Court won’t review healthcare workers’ challenge to Maine vaccine mandate
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 23, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear arguments in a lawsuit that would allow healthcare workers to apply for religious exemptions to Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Antipsychotic reduction in LTC leads to drug substitutions, more delusions diagnoses
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 16, 2022
Antipsychotic reduction in long-term care facilities likely results in significant unintended fallout, new data from Canada show. The results mirror those of similar studies in the United States, with...
Common physical function test may be skewed by height and age, new study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 15, 2022
Sit-to-stand and gait-speed test performance is significantly affected by these factors, investigators say. They’ve developed a web app to help clinicians develop their own subgroup-specific reference...
CDC loosens controversial opioid prescribing guidelines for chronic pain
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 14, 2022
Draft revisions no longer include specific dosage ceilings. This and other changes address controversial elements of the older guidance and highlight clinicians’ roles in opioid prescribing decisions.
Gait speed slows long before dementia diagnosis, 15-year study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 11, 2022
Slowing gait speed may signal the onset of dementia up to nine years before cognitive decline becomes evident, investigators say. It’s also linked to Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.
CMS shares LTC booster data; coverage among residents meets national average
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 10, 2022
Nursing home booster vaccination data is now available on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website as part of CMS’s effort to help increase facility vaccination coverage, the agency said Wednesday.
Unvaccinated have highest SARS-CoV-2 incidence, hospitalization
Feb 02, 2022
COVID-19 incidence and hospitalization rates are consistently higher for unvaccinated persons, and lowest for those fully vaccinated with a booster, according to research published Monday by the CDC.
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Feb. 3
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 03, 2022
CMS memo: ‘Dramatic staff losses’ not happening due to vax requirements … Remdesivir found effective as early treatment for COVID-19 … Social isolation linked to 27% increase in heart disease risk...