I know what you are thinking, seriously, another blog on facemasks? Yep! Honestly, we can’t say enough about the importance of facemasks! Adding to the debate, we are now finding that the facemasks we are using may not be effective! A recent publication in Medscape Nurses identifies that all facemasks are NOT equal, varying greatly in efficacy and comfort. The …
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the lead agency for the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and on January 31, 2020, declared the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a public-health emergency for the United States. A key component of that response is rapidly expanding COVID-19 testing across America. Within HHS, the Office of the …
Many COVID-19 cases are geographically localized and can overwhelm local healthcare facilities. Healthcare systems typically have uneven distribution of COVID-19 cases with some regional healthcare systems experiencing patient surges while others have excess capacity for patient care. When healthcare facilities reach or exceed patient capacity “Crisis Standards of Care” are often implemented. Healthcare systems entering Crisis Standards of Care are …
On August 11, 2020, a report “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Involving Residents Receiving Dialysis in a Nursing Home – Maryland, April 2020” was posted online as an MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) Early Release. Residents of long-term care facilities have high COVID-19 associated morbidity and mortality. More information is needed about SARS-CoV-2 introduction and transmission in nursing homes. An investigation …
“Multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) do not discriminate, they spread in all health care settings. From our unique vantage point at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we are witnessing the emergence of novel MDROs across the country, which are causing life-threatening infections with limited to no available treatments. Public health efforts to detect and contain these pathogens have …
In the 1980s and 1990s, several approaches were developed to counteract what were thought to be important microbial and host mediators in the development of sepsis and septic shock with the goal of reducing mortality. These efforts proved to be unsuccessful in reducing mortality related to sepsis and septic shock. Because of these failures, the focus changed to identifying patients …
Social isolation has many adverse effects on people and can negatively impact seniors as well as young people. Detriments of social isolation are not picky- it affects everyone! Due to this, there has been research on the idea of “Social Bubbles;” so what is a social bubble? Here are a few key points: A social bubble is when two families …
The spread of COVID-19- Person-to-person transmission most commonly happens during close exposure to a person infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, primarily via respiratory droplets produced when the infected person speaks, coughs, or sneezes. Droplets can land in the mouths, noses, or eyes of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs of those within close …
COVID-19 is a novel disease, predicting the rehabilitation needs for residents in recovery are based on evidence from the general critical care population. Based on this evidence, it is expected that acute interventions for the management of residents with severe and critical COVID-19, including mechanical ventilation, sedation and/or prolonged bed rest may result in a range of impairments including but …
