Facility PPE reuse at crisis level, infection preventionists say
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 04, 2020
Fully three quarters of survey respondents say that their healthcare facilities have implemented crisis standards of care for personal protective equipment. The reuse rate is “disheartening,”...
CDC: Boosted nursing home residents 10 times less likely to be infected with COVID-19
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 17, 2021
The news, delivered by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, is a bit of cheer amidst other new evidence that COVID-19 cases are increasing among fully vaccinated long-term care residents.
CDC: A third of healthcare workers hospitalized with COVID were treated in ICU
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2020
Six percent of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 early in the pandemic were healthcare workers. Fully 36% of these patients were in nursing-related occupations, and about a third became severely ill, the...
Face masks an anxiety-provoking obstacle for many with hearing loss, survey finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 03, 2021
Fully 95% of people living with hearing loss in the United States say that masks and face-coverings are creating communication barriers, and more than half say they are experiencing anxiety and isolation...
Consider 6-month falls risk in senior heart attack survivors, investigators say
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 16, 2021
Fully 22% of study participants reported a fall and about 6% had a medically serious fall within six months of hospitalization for a heart attack. Falls in these patients were linked to readily identified...
Sleep disorders common after stroke; older survivors at special risk: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 08, 2021
Fully 41% of people who had strokes or mini-strokes had insomnia immediately after the event, and nearly that many still had trouble sleeping more than three months later, according to a new review.
Overtreated diabetes raises hypoglycemia risk in nursing homes, investigators say
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 24, 2022
Fully 40% of residents with type 2 diabetes in a large VA nursing home study continued to receive insulin and other medications that increase hypoglycemia risk, even after their blood tests suggested overtreatment.
One in 10 may have active virus after 10-day quarantine: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 19, 2022
Fully 13% of study participants had clinically relevant levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after 10 days. The findings may be particularly concerning for vulnerable populations such as nursing facility residents,...
Nearly all staff are vaccinated in majority of Connecticut’s long-term care facilities
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2021
One state is experiencing success with its COVID-19 vaccination mandate: Fully three quarters of LTC facilities in Connecticut have a 95% staff vaccination rate, its Department of Public Health announced...
Recovered COVID patients with sore throat, nasal symptoms still may test positive
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 29, 2020
Nearly 17% of hospitalized COVID patients who were considered fully recovered tested positive for the virus in follow-up screenings. Two telltale symptoms may suggest a need for repeat testing, investigators...