Practice Management
Hospital systems in Texas are so overwhelmed with patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 that many operators have opted to close offsite emergency rooms in order to more fully staff EDs at their main sites—possibly leaving communities in the lurch when they need walk-in care not related to the virus. According to a report from the Associated Press, Memorial Hermann Health System, St. Luke’s Health, Texas Health Hospital, and Hunt Regional Healthcare all temporarily closed …
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As the Delta variant continues to undo much of the progress the U.S. has made in coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are still uncovering things we never understood about the virus to begin with. The latest revelation, according to research released by the Journal of Gerontology, is that adults 75 years of age and older may present with a constellation of symptoms that look very different from those younger patients display. Perhaps most …
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With the Delta variant continuing to increase the number of COVID-19 diagnoses and hospitalizations across the U.S., many states and cities are returning to the mask mandates that proved so controversial—and rage-inducing—earlier in the pandemic. While the problem hasn’t made headlines here yet, a report released by the British Medical Association reveals that physicians in Northern Ireland have been seeing increasing incidence of aggression from patients who refuse to wear masks during appointments. Regardless of …
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One of the oft-heard objections to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine has been that “they’re not really approved” by virtue of their being OK’d for use under the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization. Now that the Pfizer vaccine has complete approval from the FDA (with Moderna expected to follow shortly), it’s time to find out which vaccine-hesitant patients were really waiting for this moment and which were just offering up a convenient excuse but …
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Healthcare workers who have refused to get the COVID-19 have been a concern not only for patients and colleagues, but also in terms of public perception of the advisability of vaccination. To put it bluntly, they’re setting a bad example. Some municipal and state governments apparently agree, as they’ve taken steps to require certain HCWs to get the vaccine unless they qualify for specific exemptions, depending on the state. As noted in Patient Care, the …
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News concerning the advisability and availability of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines has been evolving almost as quickly as data regarding new cases of the virus itself lately. Most striking was an announcement from Rochelle Walensky, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that her agency now recommends a third dose of some vaccines for certain patients—though that will likely expand in due time. The decision is in line with a …
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It continues to be a difficult proposition to get a handle on a “standard” constellation of symptoms among patients with COVID-19. It’s been made even more difficult by the ongoing rise of the Delta variant. A leading public health official in Louisiana, where the pandemic is taking as great a toll as anywhere in the world at the moment, told New Orleans radio station WWL that symptoms associated with Delta are distinct from those associated …
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The patient who presents with an articulate, specific explanation of their complaint is both a blessing and a curse to the urgent care provider. On the plus side, you’re not forced into a game of 20 questions just to get a sense of why they’re sitting in your exam room. On the downside, even the most forthcoming patient can’t tell you what they’re unaware of. They know what’s uncomfortable, but not much else—and that can …
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Outside of the healthcare environment, you’d be hard pressed to find a professional who is more at risk for COVID-19 by virtue of long-term exposure to large numbers of people than teachers (especially those who teach younger children who are ineligible to receive the vaccine at this time). Those educators then share whatever exposure they’ve had with loved ones at home, of course. In spite of this, as in other settings, some teachers are begging …
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As readers of JUCM News know, it appeared early in the COVID-19 pandemic that children were either at reduced risk for COVID-19 compared with adults or less likely to become severely ill and die from the virus. And, in fact, the virus has proven less hazardous for younger patients compared with adults. If new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are any indication, however, the Delta variant is another story altogether. The …
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