Editor's Note This study by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, on data from 16.7 million insured individuals, shows that 30.1% of total outpatient visits early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March 18-June 16, 2020) were conducted via telemedicine, and weekly telemedicine visits were 23 times higher, compared with the pre-COVID-19…

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Editor's Note The most recent Mental Health Index produced by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions finds that employee mental health has plummeted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with workers reporting a 48% increased risk of depression in November and December, according to the…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures and social and economic impacts affected the rate of emergency department (ED) visits for patients with mental health, substance abuse, and violence issues.  Total ED visits decreased after…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 2 issued the first in a series of special edition Sentinel Event Alerts that addresses concerns received from healthcare workers about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sentinal Event Alert 62: Health care workers in the midst of crisis” provides examples to help healthcare organizations respond…

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Editor's Note Researchers from 17 healthcare organizations report that COVID-19 hospitalizations and death can be reduced with early outpatient treatments. The researchers designed an algorithm comprising treatments in order of disease severity: Immediately give zinc lozenges 5 times per day or zinc sulphate 220 mg every day for 5 days.…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on January 29, issued a federal Public Health Order requiring all individuals to wear masks on nearly all forms of public transportation, and made refusal to wear a mask a violation of federal law. The Order mandates the use of…

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Editor's Note In this study, US and Canadian researchers find that healthcare workers (HCWs) hospitalized with COVID-19 do not have poorer outcomes than non-HCWs, even though they are at higher risk of acquiring the disease. Included in the analysis were 1,790 patients (127 HCWs and 1,663 non-HCWs). After 3:1 propensity…

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Editor's Note ECRI , on January 28, issued its Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2021. First on the list is the complexity of managing devices that have Food & Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ECRI experts caution that hospitals need to watch…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA), on January 22, lowered the number of times an N95 mask can be cleaned and reused to 4, down from a previous maximum of 20 reuses, the January 25 Fierce Biotec reports. The FDA reissued emergency use authorizations for 10 N95 decontamination…

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Editor's Note A Welltok survey of 1,000 adults across the US finds that 71% of employees are worried about COVID-19 vaccine side effects, 60% of Americans have a vaccine brand preference, and 52% are worried about the vaccine supply, the January 25 Human Resource Executive reports. Employers, who are seen…

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