Hospital Employee Health – October 1, 2020
October 1, 2020
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Uproar as CDC Scales Back COVID-19 Testing
In a move widely seen as further evidence the pandemic response has been politically undermined, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised SARS-CoV-2 testing guidelines, de-emphasizing the need to test asymptomatic people who have been in contact with a case of COVID-19.
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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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Caring for Our Caregivers Initiative Helps Healthcare Workers Meditate
A nonprofit psychology group has launched the Caring for Our Caregivers initiative, distributing computer tablets with meditation and wellness exercises to help healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has exacerbated the longstanding issues of staff burnout in healthcare, adding elements of fear that may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder.
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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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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.