Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Antibiotic Use In Children; Lung Screening Programs; C Auris In Nursing Facilities; And More
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Antibiotic Use And Outcomes In Children In The Emergency Department With Suspected Pneumonia
Antibiotic therapy is often prescribed for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children despite a lack of knowledge of causative pathogen. Our objective in this study was to investigate the association between antibiotic prescription and treatment failure in children with suspected CAP who are discharged from the hospital emergency department (ED). (Lipshaw et al, 4/1)
JAMA Internal Medicine: Assessment Of Lung Cancer Screening Program Websites
Information on public-facing websites of US lung cancer screening programs appears to lack balance with respect to portrayal of potential benefits and harms of screening. Important harms, such as overdiagnosis, were commonly ignored in the sites evaluated, and most of the centers did not explicitly guide individuals toward a guideline-recommended, shared decision-making discussion of harms and benefits. (Clark et al, 4/13)
CIDRAP: Study Highlights Spread Of C Auris In Skilled Nursing Facilities
Point prevalence surveys at high-acuity long-term care facilities in Chicago indicate that ventilator-capable skilled nursing facilities (vSNFs) are particularly vulnerable to Candida auris, a research team led by the Chicago Department of Public Health reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The surveys were conducted from August 2016 through December 2018 to identify patients colonized with C auris and assess infection control (IC) measures in the city's high-acuity long-term care facilities, where ongoing spread of the pathogen has been documented since the first two cases of the multidrug-resistant fungus were identified in Chicago in August 2016. (4/15)
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Dietary Fats And Atherosclerosis From Childhood To Adulthood
The association of dietary fat distribution with markers of subclinical atherosclerosis during early life is unknown. We examined whether success in achieving the main target of an infancy-onset dietary intervention based on the distribution of dietary fat was associated with aortic and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and distensibility from childhood to young adulthood. (Laitinen et al, 4/1)
The New York Times: Exposure To Plastic Chemicals Before Conception Tied To Premature Births
Pregnant women exposed to phthalates, a group of chemicals used in many products, may be at increased risk for preterm birth, studies have found. Now a new study has found that exposure even before conception may increase the risk. Phthalates are found in plastic toys, hair sprays, soaps, perfumes and other products and can contaminate foods by contact with packaging. The new study, in JAMA Network Open, included 419 women and 229 men seeking treatment at a fertility treatment center in Boston. (Bakalar, 4/9)
