In a recent study published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Network, the use of psychotropic medications among nursing home residents in Ontario, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic was discussed. The study examined the monthly proportion of nursing home residents who were prescribed psychotropic drugs as a proportion of the monthly number of residents filling a prescription for any drug from …
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, the Director-General of The World Health Organization (WHO), addressed the World Health Assembly on May 24th and stated “the pandemic is not over, and will not be over, until virus transmission is controlled in every country. That’s because the longer the virus spreads uncontrolled, the more opportunity there is for new variants to emerge”. “So far, …
CMS updated their guidance related to emergency preparedness for exercise exemptions based on a facility’s activation of their Emergency Plan. The guidance applies to the below qualified facilities: CMS recognizes many facilities are still operating under disaster/emergency conditions during the PHE, i.e., under an activated emergency plan. We are therefore providing additional guidance for inpatient providers/suppliers, consistent with the exemption …
Since December 2019, the world has been influenced by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of February 18, 2021, approximately 110 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2.4 million deaths have been reported around the world. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020 …
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included $250 million allocated Medicare and Medicaid funding for the implementation of nursing home strike teams. AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on June 11, 2021, urging …
The National Safety Council offers resources for you and your team of caregivers as we evolve from pandemic to the “new normal”. These resources include training regarding substance abuse, how to ask for help at work, a prevention checklist for employees, webinars on managing mental health, etc. Their website explains that “the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the mental health and …
As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease swept the globe, anecdotal reports of a potential exacerbating effect of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen and aspirin, on COVID-19 emerged, leading to some warnings against the use of NSAIDs. In a study conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden using the COVID Symptom Study app about …
A recent study on Physician Stress and COVID was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and identified physician stress during the COVID-19 pandemic was moderate overall, although it was considerably higher in certain organizations. A 4-item stress summary score incorporating overall stress, fear, mental health concerns, and work overload had reasonable internal consistency. Average stress summary scores varied between …
Whether it’s emotional or physical, many patients who have been infected with COVID-19 are living with long-term effects from the virus. Specialized support is available to anyone experiencing long COVID symptoms at Montefiore-Einstein’s COVID-19 Recovery Clinic (CORE). “Just as physical weakness is common, so too are challenges with thinking, anxiety, fear, loneliness, difficulty coping, and difficulty sleeping,” Aluko A. Hope, …
