Articles Tagged With:
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Novel Psychoactive Substances of Abuse: Part I
This issue is the first of a two-part series on new novel or designer psychoactive drugs. Many of them represent alterations of existing agents that exhibit new effects from the modification. Keep the possibility of intoxication with these agents in mind when evaluating patients with altered levels of consciousness and mentation.
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The Silent Epidemic: Hepatitis C Virus
Hepatitis C accounts for a significant burden of disease. There are many barriers to the eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV), from infection identification to treatment, making it a very complex public health concern. Unfortunately, no vaccine for HCV exists yet, and development proves difficult because of the overwhelming genetic diversity. HCV can be treated by a patient’s primary care physician; this group is instrumental in screening for and treating hepatitis C.
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Addressing Food Insecurity in the ED
Screening ED patients for food insecurity is not particularly difficult or time-consuming, but intervening to address the problem can be complicated by various factors.
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Monthly Calls Dramatically Cut ED Visits by Super-Users
Researchers at a Virginia hospital conducted a quality improvement project to get frequent ED visitors the care they needed and keep them out of the ED. The researchers identified the 50 top super-utilizing patients at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s ED in 2020 and contacted them about enrolling in a chronic care management program.
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Solo Agers Are a Growing Demographic in Health Systems Nationwide
A rising proportion of older patients are solo agers — adults who live alone. This phenomenon leads to challenges for case managers as they try to find safe places to transition patients who lack caregivers and family support. A Pew Research Center study in 2020 found that 27% of U.S. adults older than age 60 years live solo.
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Ways to Reduce Medication Issues During Care Transitions
Medication management services and coordination tops the list of essential interventions needed during transitions of care, according to the National Transition of Care Coalition. Care transitions can falter when patients’ medication assessment and management are not handled well, which is why case managers should follow some basic standards.
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Improve Collaboration Between Case Managers and Pharmacists
Hospital discharges and care transitions across the continuum are vulnerable time points for medication mismanagement. About 60% of all medication errors occur during transitions of care. Case managers working with pharmacists and providers can help prevent medication errors and omissions as patients transition home or to another care facility. Collaboration is key.
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Hairstyle Is a Hot Topic in 2024 Workplaces
A top goal in a workplace that embraces the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is to accept and include people however they present. This includes allowing people of particular faiths to dress in a way that honors their faith and allowing employees to wear hairstyles that are more inclusive than adhering to a particular style, such as styles common among those of European descent.
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Glymphatic and Lymphatic Functions in Patients with Chronic Migraine
Patients with chronic migraine have dysfunction of their glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic systems, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of migraine.
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Comparing Patients with Early vs. Late-Onset Multiple Sclerosis
A recent retrospective study, combining data from a United Kingdom patient registry with a United Kingdom neuropathology tissue bank, showed that late-onset multiple sclerosis (MS), referring to disease onset after age 50 years, is linked with increased disability and quicker progression compared to MS onset at a younger age, and has distinct pathological features.