Articles Tagged With: pandemic
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Individual Drive, Human Spirit Can Help Case Managers, Others Cope with COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has put healthcare workers in the spotlight, highlighting their heroism in the face of disease, severe illness, and death. Case managers are among the unsung heroes of the crisis, as they work to keep patients safe during transitions — sometimes in the face of daunting challenges.
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Pandemic Coronavirus May Kill the Handshake
The COVID-19 pandemic may be the death knell of the handshake, although its deep anthropological roots may resurface after the viral storm is over. A study using nonpathogenic bacteriophage MS2 as a viral surrogate found that handshakes and, to a lesser extent, fist bumps can be sources of transmission.
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Fear of Threats, Violence During Pandemic Response
Violence has been an ongoing threat to healthcare workers, but it is manifesting again as social tensions rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This became evident during the politicization of wearing face masks and threats against public health officials trying to enforce their use or mandate other pandemic control methods.
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Healthcare Workers Holding the Line Against Pandemic
The nation’s healthcare workers are grimly holding the line against the worst pandemic in a century. Those who survive may pay a mental health price, a “moral injury” not unlike soldiers returning from war, mental health experts warn. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement is addressing these current and looming issues through a series of webinars and papers on “psychological PPE."
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OSHA Enforcement Prioritizing Hazards Related to COVID-19 Response
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stated it will prioritize investigations of complaints, referrals, fatalities, and hospitalizations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means risk managers should prepare to respond effectively to employee complaints or OSHA queries.
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COVID-19 Nursing Home Cases Reflect Infection in Local Communities
Nursing homes with higher rates of complaints and deficiencies had more reported COVID-19 cases, according to a “snapshot” study of nursing homes that reported cases in late April 2020. The research, published July 29, 2020, on JAMA Network Open, also found that COVID-19 rates were significantly higher in counties where facilities had cases, showing how community spread affects local nursing homes.
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Palliative Care and Ethical Considerations in the COVID-19 ICU
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an ICU environment different from what we have ever seen in our lifetimes that has deep palliative care and ethical repercussions.
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Family Planning Centers Looking for Solutions in a Difficult Era
In recent years, family planning clinics have faced many obstacles to providing contraceptive access to all patients who need it. Access issues worsened under changes to Title X and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that allows some employers to opt out of providing contraception coverage. Reproductive health experts worry these recent changes — and COVID-19’s effect on access — could result in more unintended pregnancies.
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Pandemic Coronavirus May Kill the Handshake
The COVID-19 pandemic may be the death knell of the handshake, although its deep anthropological roots may resurface after the viral storm is over.
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Case Managers Can Help Patients Control Medication
Medication management and access can be challenging when case managers and other providers cannot visit patients’ homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.