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.
Spinal anesthesia no better than general anesthesia for hip fracture patients: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 08, 2022
Patient mortality and the ability to walk independently two months after hip fracture surgery are the same whether general or spinal anesthesia was used, according to a new study across 46 hospitals.
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...
Novavax applies for FDA authorization of its protein-based COVID shot
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 02, 2022
Biotech firm Novavax disclosed Monday that it had submitted its long-awaited application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in the United...
U.S. gives green light to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2022
“Spikevax” is the second COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to receive full FDA approval, following Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty in September.
What is the best post-acute care destination for an assisted living resident? It’s complicated, new...
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 31, 2022
Acute care clinicians and discharge planners need more complete information about LTC services and target populations to help ensure that residents land in the most appropriate settings, researchers say.
Infectious disease experts call on clinicians to recognize threat of RSV in elders
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 28, 2022
It’s time for clinicians to get up-to-date on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and help address the threat it poses to older adults, according to a new report and call to action from the National Foundation...