Infection Control
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Another Outbreak of Acute Flaccid Myelitis Could Complicate COVID-19 Response
If previous patterns hold true, there could be an outbreak this year of acute flaccid myelitis, the frightening polio-like condition the CDC has been studying since 2014. Public health experts advise frontline providers to be particularly attuned to patients presenting with the hallmark limb weakness, and to report such cases promptly to their state health department.
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Rural Hospitals Struggle Amid Budgetary Constraints, Reporting Requirements
The COVID-19 pandemic response has pushed many rural hospitals to the brink, placing added strains on skeletal workforces that have long struggled to meet the healthcare needs of their communities. While some smaller facilities are pitching in to help larger, urban centers manage capacity, others have seen their patient volumes dwindle as fear keeps patients from accessing needed care. Most conclude the pandemic is highlighting the need for change in the way healthcare is delivered to rural communities.
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Lack of Health Literacy Tied to Higher Risk for Postoperative Infections
Limited knowledge is common in the United States, which is attributed to various factors.
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Confusion, Skepticism Abound Regarding Convalescent Plasma as a COVID-19 Therapeutic
From collection to analysis to reporting, it seems everyone registered a complaint about the entire process.
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How One Hospital Screened Every Employee Daily for COVID-19
The Miami (FL) Cancer Institute achieved a feat that many healthcare institutions aspired to during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic: screening every employee and visitor every day for COVID-19 symptoms before allowing them into the facility. The logistics may be useful to other hospitals in the next disease outbreak.
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Nurses Call for OSHA Regulation as Pandemic Takes Bitter Toll
The continuing onslaught of COVID-19 is decimating the ranks of U.S. healthcare workers, leading to calls for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an infectious disease standard requiring employers to protect medical staff.
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Reprocessing Respirators too Often May Damage Function
As desperate times require desperate measures, many hospitals have adopted reprocessing methods to reuse N95 respirators designed for single use. A recent study on some of these decontamination techniques revealed respirator efficacy may be compromised if they are reprocessed too often.
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New Tuberculosis Testing Guide Supplements CDC Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped annual tuberculosis screening recommendations for healthcare workers last year, saying the disease continues to decline nationwide and healthcare workers appear to be at no greater risk than the general public. However, there are workers who could be exposed at work or in the community, including those from countries with endemic tuberculosis who can be offered new treatments for latent infection.
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What Is the Role of Airborne Transmission in COVID-19 Pandemic?
In the absence of aerosol-generating procedures, the public health consensus has been that large droplet particles emitted by a patient do not travel beyond six feet. However, studies have shown that smaller particles can travel farther distances, although there is some question whether they are infectious.
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‘Masks Work’: CDC Urges Public to Follow Healthcare Worker Example
Public health officials are citing a hospital study on the efficacy of mask use among healthcare workers and patients in preventing COVID-19 transmission to support recommendations recommendations for universal masking in the community.