Vaccination Rates Stable But Healthcare Providers Must Remain Vigilant
While national vaccination rates for vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles are relatively high and stable, healthcare providers need to be on guard for vaccination lapses at the local level, says Susan Koletar, MD, a practicing physician and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.
It’s Official: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency to End on May 11
As promised, the White House is giving ample notice—the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11. In a statement January 30, the White House said it would end the PHE, which has allowed hospitals and other providers a number of compliance and other waivers to help ease the burden on healthcare.
OSHA’s Regulatory Plans for 2023
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh recently confirmed that three OSHA healthcare rulemakings are priorities for the Labor Department: a permanent healthcare COVID-19 standard, a proposed infectious disease standard, and a rulemaking to address workplace violence in health care and social services.
OSHA Proceeding With Healthcare Rulemakings
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will proceed with three rulemakings focused on the healthcare industry—standards for COVID-19, infectious diseases, and workplace violence—the Department of Labor (DOL) announced as part of the fall 2022 unified regulatory agenda unveiled January 4.
Flu Patients at Risk of Developing Sepsis
Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to an infection, and it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death, according to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. CDC annual statistics on sepsis are eye-popping: about 1.7 million American adults develop sepsis, at least 350,000 American adults with sepsis die during their hospitalization or are discharged to hospice, and 1 of 3 people who die in a hospital had sepsis during their hospitalization.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 69 – Lessons Learned From Infectious Disease Outbreaks
On episode 69 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Art Papier, CEO of VisualDx, talks about lessons learned for dealing with infectious disease outbreaks.
Holiday Decorations, Part 2: They’re Nice But Not if They Spread Infection
Is this the year when hospitals can finally embrace decorating again? Maybe not. Hospitals beds this winter are being filled across the country due to a rise in COVID-19 cases as well as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases that are hitting children particularly hard.
Hospital Amoxicillin Supply Not Keeping Up With Surging Demand
Data from Vizient, a healthcare consultancy with supply chain services, showed a 43% surge in demand for amoxicillin products in the acute care setting from September to October 2022. In that same period, fill rates dropped by 25%. This data comes from purchases by Vizient members, which encompass more than 60% of the nation’s healthcare organizations.
Researchers Link 266K Avertable Deaths to COVID Vaccination Rates
The rate of COVID mortality in the nation’s 10 least-vaccinated states – 145 per 100,000 population — was nearly double the COVID mortality rate of the 10 most-vaccinated states (74.5/100,000), according to the letter which was published Friday in JAMA Network.
Employee Contact Tracing Helps Mount Sinai Control COVID-19 Spread
Writing in the November issue of The Lancet Digital Health, researchers form the New York-based health system describe the creation of the Mount Sinai Employee Health COVID-19 REDCap Registry, a cloud-based digital framework using a web application known as Research Electronic Data Capture.