HOW HEALTHCARE STAFFING SHORTAGES IMPACT THE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to persist, healthcare staffing shortages are being felt all throughout the United States and beyond. As clinics, hospitals, and care facilities struggle with staffing, it is important to investigate how these shortages impact healthcare quality and patient well-being. More than ever, it is critical that healthcare leaders understand the burdens […]
3 KEY HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE RESILIENCY
In 2021, an unprecedented 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs. [I] Dubbed the Great Resignation by many, this major workforce shift has impacted almost all industries—healthcare included. Hospitals, clinics, and medical practices throughout the country are currently feeling the burden of this mass exodus and must start taking measures to improve employee recruitment and […]
COVID-19 AND DIABETES: LATEST PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR BETTER MANAGEMENT
Diabetes is one of the top ten leading causes of death worldwide [I]. According to the CDC, an estimated 37.3 million or 1 out of 10 Americans have diabetes [ii]. However, of these millions of people who have diabetes, 1 in 5 are unaware of it. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened and exacerbated this […]
THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer globally. Every year, heart disease claims an estimated 17.9 million lives, one-third of which are under the age of 70 [i]. While almost all public health focus over the past several years has revolved around the COVID-19 virus, it is important to also recognize how the pandemic has […]
THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON TUBERCULOSIS TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacts diagnosing infectious diseases and clinical laboratory operations beyond shortages of reagents and supplies. Increased demand for health care services due to COVID-19 can challenge health facilities and systems, resulting in disruption of TB health care services, delayed diagnosis and treatment, and increased mortality for patients with TB for the first […]
THE COVID-19 OMICRON VARIANT: HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
On November 26, 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution. [i] Variant of Concern (VOC) “A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), a significant reduction in neutralization […]
HOW TO PREPARE FOR VACCINE ADMINISTRATION
As four major COVID-19 vaccines get closer to distribution, healthcare facilities need to be preparing for distribution. While the three major vaccines—from Moderna, Pfizer, and Oxford—have performed comparably in trials, the three vaccines have important differences in distribution and storage, meaning that facilities planning to distribute vaccines will need to have detailed plans to account […]
HOW THE 1ST MALARIA VACCINE APPROVED BY WHO CAN HELP THE MALARIA FIGHT
A long-awaited approval On October 6th, 2021, the World Health Organization began recommending R.T.S., S/AS01 (commonly known as R.T.S.,S, or Mosquirix), a vaccine against Malaria. This advice aims to help children who live in regions with moderate to high transmission of the malaria parasite Plasmodium Falciparum. Approximately 2.3 million vaccine doses have been delivered in […]
KIDS UNDER 12 ARE NOW ELIGIBLE TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19
On October 29, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization for administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to children as young as five (5) and up to eleven (11) years old. [i] This gives over 28 million children in the USA the opportunity to get immunized, in addition to the previous […]
THE DEVASTING IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON RURAL COMMUNITIES
What has been the impact of Covid-19 on Rural Communities? According to a Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR) research [i] , the probability of rural hospital closures has grown dramatically since the beginning of COVID-19, raising concerns about care availability and community health. The financial crisis of the rural health systems began […]
