NIH Boosts Research Funding for Telehealth and Cancer Care

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A new initiative is intended to boost research into cancer-related care delivered by telehealth to patients and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed telehealth into the public spotlight for patients as a helpful mode for patients to receive care without exposure to the virus.  Telehealth allows practitioners to differentiate between patients who can be seen … Continued

Mixed Bag: Studies Suggest Benefits and Risk of Preterm Birth Steroid Treatment

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A recent study suggests steroid therapy during pregnancy can boost survival rates of preterm births in certain cases.  However, another study finds prenatal steroid treatment to address preterm birth may also contribute to psychological and neurosensory deficits in children as they age. A child born prior to 37 weeks is considered preterm.  Babies born far … Continued

Will Physician Burnout Increase Treatment Risk in the US?

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New research suggests a dramatic jump in physician burnout that is likely to impact delivery of quality healthcare throughout the US. It will come as no surprise to anyone that the healthcare system was staggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, burnout is common among healthcare providers in the US and the years of the pandemic … Continued

FBI Warns of Increasing Risk of Unpatched Medical Devices

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In September, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released an alert regarding the risk of cyber-attack on outdated medical devices. While it may sound like a science fiction scenario, the threat to the healthcare industry discussed by the FBI is frighteningly real. In a succinct industry notification, the bureau outlined a broad swath of risks … Continued

Settlements Continue Against Parties in Opioid Cases

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Pharma companies continue to settle lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic in this country. Despite the despicable behavior of the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the Sacklers were allowed to settle many outstanding state and agency lawsuits against them with a $6 billion dollar deal in March of this year. The settlement allows the … Continued

FDA Recalls Blood Vessel Devices that may cause Injury or Death

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announce a recall of a medical device widely used during life-saving procedures. Medical technology company Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is a global enterprise selling instruments, medical devices and treatment systems. The FDA recently issued a Class 1 recall on BD Intraosseous Needle Set Kits, Manual Driver … Continued

Patients Suffer Increased Risk when Anesthesiologists Overlapped During Procedures

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A recent large study suggests anesthesiologists who split their time over multiple operating suites are linked to higher incidence of patient complications and death. “Overlapping” is the term used when an anesthesiologist induces the next surgical patient in an operating room (OR) while a previous patient is still in surgery. Overlapping is useful when qualified … Continued

Study Suggests Adverse Drug Events Decrease when Providers Meet in Person

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To reduce the number of adverse drug events suffered by patients, a new study suggests an in-person meeting between hospital pharmacists and prescribing residents is helpful. Medication errors are the most common medical error. A medication error is any “preventable harm event” that occurs along the medication supply chain from manufacture to patient administration. Because … Continued