Editor's Note A first-of-its-kind study examined a range of different professional healthcare roles during the pandemic and how they complied with precaution guidelines around infection prevention. The study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control on December 6, found statistically significant differences between job roles.  The researchers conducted a…

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The healthcare sector has begun grappling with a repeat challenge this fall and winter: the simultaneous surge of three significant respiratory diseases—flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 among both children and adults. When these diseases collide, they constitute what experts have termed a “tripledemic,” which poses a significant strain…

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Editor's Note Receiving a fourth dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine recommended for patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, was found to have saved lives and reduced hospitalizations among that patient population. The findings were published in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology on November 15. The researchers used…

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Editor's Note A study of nurses in the UK found that the majority of those surveyed felt undervalued and under-recognized, perceiving that they did not have a voice in higher-level decision-making, during the pandemic. The findings were published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing on October 30. Forty participants were…

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Editor's Note Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) have improved significantly after infection rates spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the nonprofit safety organization the Leapfrog Group, PRNewswire November 6 reports. According to the data, over 85% of hospitals improved performance on at least one of three dangerous infections: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),…

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Editor's Note New research shows that physicians who used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic spent increased time working in the electronic health record (EHR). The research findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine on October 30. Researchers studied the weekly EHR metadata of 1,052 physicians at the University of California…

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Editor's Note A new study looked at the causes behind how some patients developed deadly blood clots following the administration of certain COVID-19 vaccines. The findings were published in the journal Blood on October 26.  Previous studies had shown that patients with Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT) produce antibodies…

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Editor's Note An AI tool helped to identify signs of distress in conversations from healthcare workers (HCWs) with their therapists during the pandemic, according to a study from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, EurekAlert! October 24 reports. The findings were published in Journal of Medical Internet Research AI.  Researchers analyzed…

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Editor's Note Almost two thirds of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine since December 2020. Vaccinations prevented 19.8 million out of a potential 31.4 million deaths related to COVID-19 worldwide in their first year, according to September 2022 findings published in The Lancet…

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Editor's Note Scientists from UC Davis used dynamic total-body positron emission tomography (PET) to show the body's immune response to COVID-19 in recovering patients, Science Advances October 12 reports. The research article, titled "First-in-human immunoPET imaging of COVID-19 convalescent patients using dynamic total-body PET and a CD8-targeted minibody," was published…

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