Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Physician PTSD; Hospital Infections; Progeria; More
CIDRAP: Physician PTSD Levels Rose During COVID
Physicians are known to have higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general population due to handling patient deaths, medical emergencies, and high workloads, and researchers who examined patterns during the COVID pandemic found that PTSD levels spiked and varied by different groups. (Schnirring, 7/24)
Fierce Healthcare: CDC: Hospital-Onset Infections Remained Elevated In 2022
Infectious disease professionals are calling for greater federal funding in the face of new Centers for Disease Contral and Prevention (CDC) data outlining an uptick in antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in hospitals. In a fact sheet published last week, the agency broke down changes in hospital-onset rates for seven resistant infections from 2019 to 2022, updating prior reporting that capped at 2020. (Muoio, 7/22)
CIDRAP: ICU-Acquired Infections More Common In COVID Patients Than Those With Flu
Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who required intensive care unit (ICU) treatment were more likely to acquire infections than those hospitalized with influenza, according to a new study in Scientific Reports. The study was based on outcomes seen among Swedish adults treated with invasive mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 between January 2020 and March 2022 and those with flu between January 2015 and May 2023 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. (Soucheray, 7/22)
CIDRAP: Study Finds ME/CFS Not More Likely From COVID Than From Other Infections
Levels of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a disabling chronic multisystem illness from an unknown cause, is largely the same in people who were sick with COVID-19 and those who had other acute illness, a team led by researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles reported today. (Schnirring, 7/24)
The New York Times: A Disease That Makes Children Age Rapidly Gets Closer To A Cure
A cure for an ultrarare disease, progeria, could be on the horizon. The disease speeds up aging in children and dramatically shortens their lives. But, until recently, there was no path toward a highly effective treatment. Now, a small group of academics and government scientists, including Dr. Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, is working with no expectation of financial gain to halt progeria in its tracks with an innovative gene editing technique. (Kolata, 7/24)
The Washington Post: Women Cite Anxiety, Lack Of Time As Reasons For Missing Cancer Screenings
More than 40 percent of women said they skipped or delayed a screening recommended by a health professional, according to a recent survey by Gallup for the medical technology company Hologic. In the survey of 4,001 adult women across the United States, 90 percent of respondents agreed that it is important to get regular preventive health screenings for cancer, heart disease, sexually transmitted infections and other key health conditions. But 43 percent also said they skipped or delayed a recommended screening, including for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. (Docter-Loeb, 7/22)
