Results for search "Hospitals".
21 Sep
A new study suggests ChatGPT performs as well as doctors in diagnosing emergency department patients and may shorten hospital wait times.
Health care workers at America’s nursing homes are woefully under-vaccinated for both flu and COVID-19, threatening their own health and that of the frail elderly patients under their care, a new report finds.
Looking at 2023 data collected at nearly 14,000 nursing homes nationwide, researchers found that that fewer than one in every four (22.9%) health care workers had received up-to-d...
Black and Hispanic Americans might be receiving worse hospital care following cardiac arrest than Whites do, a new study reports.
Only about 20% of Blacks and 22% of Hispanics admitted to a hospital after initially surviving cardiac arrest had a positive outcome, researchers found. The rest either died or suffered brain damage.
By comparison, nearly 34% of Whites had a positive outc...
Advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have voted to recommend that health providers wear masks during routine care for patients who are thought to be contagious.
Still, health care workers were frustrated that the draft recommendation does not specify what kind of mask should be worn -- loose-fitting surgical masks or fitted, tightly woven N95 masks.
...
Advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to approve new draft guidelines for hospital infection control this week, the first update since 2007.
But healthcare workers worry whether the guidelines, which suggest that surgical masks are as good as N-95 masks at preventing the spread of respiratory infections during routine care, are protecting a hospital'...
A new study on Clostridioides difficile infections finds that choosing an alternative antibiotic for high-risk patients with pneumonia can reduce infection risk.
C. diff infections can be deadly, and they are often acquired by hospitalized patients taking broad-spectrum antibiotics.
More than 450,000 C. diff infections are reported in the United Sta...
Health workers are experiencing ever-increasing levels of harassment and burnout in the wake of the pandemic, a new federal survey has found.
Reports of harassment on the job more than doubled during the pandemic years, and nearly half of health care workers often experience feelings of burnout, according to survey results published Oct. 24 in a new
Drawing smaller amounts of blood from patients in the intensive care unit could lead to fewer blood transfusions, according to new research.
The large clinical trial in Canada found that making this small change could save tens of thousands of units of blood each year in that country.
“While the amount of blood drawn per tube is relatively small, ICU patients typically require mu...
When Hannah, a California marketing professional, showed up at her local emergency room in March 2023 for a pregnancy-related complication, she wasn't prepared for what happened next.
“I arrived at 2 p.m. and finally saw the obstetrics team at midnight,” she recalled.
After an exam, doctors scheduled her for a procedure on the following day, but there wasn't a room available. ...
The life-threatening infection sepsis was more common than once thought among COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic.
Massachusetts researchers linked SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to about 1 in 6 sepsis cases at five Boston hospitals during the pandemic's first 2-1/2 years.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital said their findings suggest health care workers sho...
It seemed to some that patients of color were being restrained in the emergency room more often than others, so researchers decided to investigate.
While physical restraints can be used to keep staff and patients safe, they may also cause injury to the patient, including aspiration, physical trauma and psychological harm.
A new study bears out what the team from Baylor College of Me...
A deadly infection associated with hospitalization may not be the fault of the hospital, but may instead stem from the patients themselves, a new study suggests.
Infection caused by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is still common in hospitals, despite extensive infection control procedures. The new research may help explain why that's so.
Among mor...
How big is a hospital bed's carbon footprint?
Pretty big, new research shows.
One hospital bed alone was roughly equivalent to the carbon footprint of five Canadian households, according to researchers studying a British Columbia hospital during 2019. They identified energy and water use and the purchasing of medical products as the hospital's primary energy hotspots, accounting fo...
Much has been made of how a lack of English proficiency can interfere with a patient's ability to interact with their doctor and get the best health care possible.
But language barriers can prevent cancer patients from even getting in the door for a first visit with a specialist, a new study reports.
English speakers calling a general information line at U.S. hospitals succeeded nea...
When people suffering a stroke need a transfer to another hospital, time is of the essence. But a new study finds that most Americans in that situation face delays.
The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the issue of "door-in, door-out"...
More than 1 out of every 10 patients who land in an ICU with a potentially deadly heart emergency test positive for recreational drug use, a new French study reports.
About 11% of nearly 1,500 patients admitted to a French intensive cardiac care unit for a heart crisis tested positive for cannabis, opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine or other illicit drugs, researchers said in the journal <...
America's emergency rooms are being flooded by children suffering from psychiatric emergencies like anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts, a new joint report from three leading medical associations warns.
This surge in pediatric mental health emergencies has overwhelmed ERs in the United States, says the joint paper from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American ...
New hospitalizations for Americans with severe COVID are climbing once again.
The number of patients being admitted to hospitals has grown for each of the past four weeks, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows. Southeastern states have been hit the hardest.
In...
Emergency rooms can be a frightening place for people suffering from dementia, yet each year 1.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's or other dementias wind up in crowded, noisy ERs, a new study finds.
Dementia is responsible for nearly 7% of all ER visits for those older than 65, often because of accidents or mental health crises, researchers determined.
"While dementia is thought o...
Tornado damage to a Pfizer drug-making plant in North Carolina is unlikely to trigger drug shortages across the country, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
"We do not expect there to be any immediate significant impacts on supply, given the products are currently at hospitals and in the distribution system," FDA Commissioner
Depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems sent record numbers of American kids, especially girls, to emergency rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once there, many waited days or even weeks to be admitted to the hospital, a new study reports.
"The system was already stretched to begin with and then the pandemic hit and more people were seeking care," said senior...
“Superbug” infections are increasing in U.S. hospitals, and a coalition of medical groups has now issued a set of updated recommendations to protect patients.
These guidelines are meant to prevent the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, the authors of the recommendations argue.
MRSA causes about 10% of hospital-associated infection...
Many transplant centers routinely practice “list-diving,” when the top candidate among potential organ recipients is skipped in favor of someone further down the list, new research shows.
The top candidate is ranked that way based on an objective algorithm using age, waiting time and other factors, while choosing someone else happens with little oversight or transparency. And that may...
New York University doctors and hospital executives are using an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program to predict whether a newly discharged patient will soon fall sick enough to be readmitted.
The AI program “NYUTron” reads physicians' notes to estimate a patient's risk of dying, the potential length of their hospital stay, and other factors important to their care.
Tes...
Emergency departments aren't perceived as safe for professionals or their patients, according to an international survey from the European Society of Emergency Medicine (EUSEM).
More than 90% of emergency professionals surveyed said they felt at times the number of patients exceeded the capacity the emergency department (ED) had to provide safe care. Overcrowding was a problem, they said...
While the U.S. Veterans Affairs health system has been criticized for long appointment wait times and limited access to specialists, the quality of care and access to a range of surgical services is as good as or better than at non-VA health centers on several measures, new research reveals.
“Surgery involves many steps of care,” said lead study author
Denying a woman an emergency abortion and risking her life broke U.S. federal law, a federal government investigation contends.
The woman, who went into premature labor after her water broke at 17 weeks was denied the lifesaving procedure last August at two hospitals that are now the center of an investigation: Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo., and University of Kansas Hospital in Kan...
Patients hospitalized with pneumonia typically stay on IV antibiotics until they're stable, after about three days, but a new study suggests a different option.
Researchers report that more patients who have community-acquired pneumonia could switch sooner to oral antibiotics. Antibiotics given as pills were also linked with earlier release from the hospital. They were not associated with...
A new Australian study found that children who had COVID-19 during the first couple of years of the pandemic could be safely treated at home, taking the burden off hospitals.
Children who had COVID-19 with moderate symptoms or preexisting high-risk conditions could be treated effectively via a Hospital-in-the-Home (HITH) program, according to the study.
The program took pressure of...
Health care facilities remain one of the last places left in the United States with COVID-era mask requirements still in effect.
It's time for that to end, experts say.
A prestigious collection of infection disease experts and epidemiologists say universal masking requirements in health care settings should be lifted, according to a commentary they published April 18 in the
During the pandemic, nearly 100,000 U.S. registered nurses called it quits, a new survey shows.
Why? A combination of stress, burnout and retirements created a perfect storm for the exodus.
Even worse, another 610,000 registered nurses (RNs) said they had an “intent to leave” the workforce by 2027, citing those same reasons. And an additional 189,000 RNs younger than 40 reported...
Pope Francis was back delivering Mass on Palm Sunday, just one day after he was released from the hospital following a three-day stay for bronchitis.
Francis, 86, celebrated in St. Peter's Square in Rome as about 60,000 people looked on, carrying palm fronds or olive tree branches, CBS News reported.
Giving patients who have septic shock a combo of two steroids could potentially be a lifesaver, according to a new study.
Researchers found that patients receiving a combination of hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone had lower death rates and discharge to hospice compared to those who received hydrocortisone alone.
“Our results provide robust evidence that one steroid regimen is su...
When a child is hospitalized, cost may not be the greatest worry but the out-of-pocket expense can be substantial in the United States, even for those with insurance.
A Michigan Medicine study found that U.S. families covered by private insurance s...
Shopping for cataract surgery, a heart valve replacement or a colonoscopy?
You're better able these days to compare what one hospital charges against the prices at another, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A majority of hospitals are now complying with U.S. federal rules that require them to post the prices of their procedures, Medi...
Most people hospitalized for COVID-19 are taking months to bounce back, a new study confirms.
More than 70% of patients reported experiencing lingering symptoms, including coughing, rapid or irregular heartbeat and breathlessness. About half had fatigue or physical limitations. All of these symptoms are associated with long COVID-19.
“My clinic patients often want to know how soo...
A growing number of U.S. kids are landing in hospital emergency rooms for a mental health crisis. Now a new study finds that many do not get follow-up care after they're discharged.
Experts said the findings, published Feb. 13 in the journal
A phone call from a nurse may be the lifeline needed to help improve survival for heart failure patients.
New research from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles finds that check-in calls may help save lives.
“There's a lot of new technology and new ideas about how to manage people who have heart failure remotely, but we demonstrated that low-tech and old-fash...
Having sepsis -- a life-threatening response to infection -- may put patients at risk for future heart failure and rehospitalization, according to a new study.
Sepsis is an extreme immune response to an infection in the body. It can cause that infection to spread throughout the body and lead to organ failure and possibly death.
“We know that infection may be a potential tr...
One-third of public health workers have endured threats, anger and aggression from the public during the pandemic, and that has come at a steep cost to their mental health, a new study finds.
“The negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers have been documented and the research on psychological impacts is building,” said lead study author
Hospital emergency codes are used to swiftly alert staff to something requiring a quick response, but a recent study suggests many health care workers can't accurately identify them.
To learn more, researchers focused on five Georgia health care facilities. The study included 304 ...
While appendicitis is a common emergency, Black people experiencing its symptoms more often have a delayed diagnosis.
But that doesn't happen in lower-quality hospitals that serve more Black patients, according to new research. There, Black people are diagnosed more quickly.
“There is clearly a benefit to patients being treated in predominantly minority-serving hospitals when they...
Hundreds of rural hospitals across the United States are teetering on the edge of closure, with their financial status increasingly in peril, a new report reveals.
More than 200 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure because they aren't making enough money to cover the rising cost of providing care, and their low financial reserves leave them little margin for error,
Nearly one quarter of hospitalized people experience a harmful event during their stay, a new study finds.
However, most of the bad outcomes are not preventable because they're related to known side effects from medications or risks of surgery. The findings were published Jan. 11 in the New England Journa...
If you're sick or have been injured, you might not know whether the emergency room or urgent care is the right place to be treated.
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) offers some general advice, so you don't have to wonder where to go when immediate medical attention is needed.
“The emergency department is the best option for concerning symptoms, severe illness or...
Ransomware attacks on America's health care systems have more than doubled in recent years, disrupting needed medical care and exposing the personal information of millions, a new study reports.
These attacks — in which computer systems are locked down by hackers until the victim agrees to pay a ransom — hit all levels of health care, from your doctor's or dentist's office up to ...
A Pennsylvania man who persuaded desperate pet owners that he could help cure their dogs' cancer was convicted by a federal jury of wire fraud and interstate shipment of misbranded animal drugs.
Jonathan Nyce, 73, of Collegeville, Pa., was charged in February 2020 in a years-long scheme to defraud pet owners by falsely claiming to sell canine cancer-curing drugs, according to U.S. Attorne...
Researchers studying dry eye disease in mice have found that the condition can alter how the cornea heals itself. They have also identified potential treatments.
“We have drugs, but they only work well in about 10% to 15% of patients,” said senior researcher Dr. Rajendra Apt...
A comprehensive eye exam could be the key to determining if you have glaucoma, a silent thief of sight.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that affect the optic nerve, and the leading cause of preventable blindness, according to The Glaucoma Foundation.
But most people are unaware of their risk...
COVID vaccine boosters appear to be perfectly safe for your heart, data gathered from nearly 5,000 smartwatch wearers shows.
Researchers tracked the heart health of thousands of Israeli smartwatch users, including more than 2,000 who received a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID vaccine.
The result: no lasting effect on a person's heart after they got the vaccine, compared to others who...
When rural hospitals shut down people need to go elsewhere, and a new study finds that nearby hospitals bear the strain of that patient overflow.
"Previous studies have shown that rural hospital closures can have negative health consequences for the communities they serve," said researcher Daniel George, an associate p...