Articles Tagged With: stigma
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Behavioral Flags in ED Charts Have Unintended Consequences
If a patient attacked an ED nurse, the next ED nurse caring for that individual probably would want to know specifics about what happened. Some EDs place behavioral flags in ED charts to warn other providers.
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The End of the Tether: Healthcare Workers in Mental Health Turmoil
Some healthcare workers are hanging by a thread as thin as a suture. Others have fallen — due to COVID-19, workplace violence, or by their own hand. Many have fled healthcare as if it were a burning building. Perhaps, more appropriately, a burned-out building. Too many healthcare workers today are described as anything but well. Mentally, they are at the end of the tether: burned out, morally injured, compassion fatigued, with some depressed to the point of suicidal ideation.
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Callous Care for Pregnant Patients, Particularly Those of Color
With maternal mortality rates on the rise in the United States, a new report comes as an unwelcome complication — and, in part, an explanation for the disturbing trend: Many women feel disrespected and even experience verbal abuse during their pregnancy and delivery care, the CDC reported.
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Screening and Documenting Cases of Human Trafficking Are Important, But Carry Risks
Human trafficking is a critical issue from a public health perspective. It has lasting psychological and physical effects on victims. There is too little information about how prevalent human trafficking is in the United States and how often the victims are seen in healthcare settings. Case managers, hospitals, and ambulatory providers could improve the data by documenting suspected or confirmed human trafficking cases via Z codes.
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Virginia Removing Barriers for HCWs to Seek Counseling
Virginia is going “all in” statewide with an effort to improve and protect the mental and emotional well-being of healthcare workers by removing invasive questions in licensing reviews so they can seek counseling without fear of stigma and job loss.
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Bias and Stigma Hinder Effective Obesity Treatment
The industry is moving away from a hierarchy of care where a primary provider tells the patient what they ought to do. Instead, the model is moving toward shared decision-making.
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More Work Needed to Fight Healthcare Disparities
It takes a village to improve population health and whole person care. The village includes the public health system, which can be led by case management or a care coordination team. Populations that experience health inequities can benefit from the whole-person approach, particularly when hospitals form public health partnerships and use telehealth at discharge.
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The Darkest Hour: Little PPE, No Vaccine Led to Moral Injury
A fascinating and disturbing study captures the emotions and attitudes of healthcare workers in 2020 when COVID-19 emerged. Personal protective equipment was in short supply, and the first COVID-19 vaccines would not be available until the end of the year. There was a general despairing feeling in this period that there was not “enough” of anything, including reliable information.
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Rise in Syphilis Has Far-Reaching Effect on U.S. Population
Syphilis cases have skyrocketed in recent years, and repercussions include a lower quality of life for people affected by the disease. CDC preliminary data from 2021 show a 34% increase in syphilis cases among women and a 6% increase in syphilis among newborns. The CDC’s 2020 data show a 235% increase in congenital syphilis from 2016.
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Contact Tracing Barriers Exposed During COVID-19 Crisis
Over recent decades, public health officials have used contact tracing to varying degrees of success. The focus on STIs, HIV, and COVID-19 has shifted and changed. Yet it is the new surge in syphilis cases that highlights the importance of contact tracing and how damaging it can be when there are not enough public health officials and healthcare providers to identify people who are exposed and convince them to seek testing.