Study Finds Many Hospital Pneumonia Diagnoses Are Inappropriate

Fox News: Pneumonia Misdiagnoses Are Common Among Hospitalized Adults, Study Finds: There Are 'Implications'
Adults who are admitted to the hospital are often inappropriately diagnosed with — and treated for — pneumonia, new research suggests. These misdiagnosed adults almost always receive a full course of antibiotics that may not be necessary, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Among older adults who were treated for community-acquired pneumonia in the hospital, 12% were misdiagnosed, researchers found. (Sudhakar, 4/1)

NPR: Safer Table Saws May Get Mandated, Possibly Preventing Severed Fingers
Table saws are widely considered the most dangerous power tool, and approximately 30,000 blade-contact injuries require medical treatment each year in the United States. About 4,000 result in amputations that can be career-ending for some professional carpenters and contractors. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that when a person is hospitalized, the societal cost per table saw injury exceeds $500,000 when you also factor in loss of income and pain and suffering. (Neuman and Arnold, 4/2)

The Washington Post: Men Outpace Women In Exercise-Related Head And Face Injuries 
Exercise-related injuries to the head and face have increased in recent years, rising almost 33 percent overall from 2013 to 2022, according to a study in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Men accounted for nearly 56 percent of those injured, but the increase in incidence in the 10-year span was nearly twice as high in women as in men (44.5 vs. 24.2 percent). By age, those 15 to 19 had the highest rate of head and face injuries at about 10 percent. (Searing, 4/1)

In mental health news —

San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Study Finds Keto Diet Can Help Manage Serious Mental Illness
Eating a ketogenic diet appears to help people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers — underscoring the importance of diet in the management of serious mental illness. The study, published in Psychiatry Research on March 27, found that trial participants who were instructed to follow a ketogenic diet — high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrates — for four months showed improvements in both psychiatric outcomes and metabolic syndromes like obesity and insulin resistance. (Ho, 4/1)

Houston Chronicle: Galveston County To Open First Stand-Alone Mental Health Crisis Center
Galveston County officially broke ground last week on a $13 million development to expand access to mental health services. The Mental Health Wellness Center will be centrally located in La Marque to serve the communities in Galveston County, including League City, Texas City and Dickinson. It's part of ongoing expansion of access to healthcare services in the Bay Area. (Orozco, 4/1)

State House News Service: A Half-Century Of Helping Those Who Have Lost All Hope
The number of American lives lost to suicide in 2022 exceeds the capacity of Fenway Park, Samaritans CEO Kathy Marchi said Monday as she lamented the country’s all-time high suicide rate. But Marchi, joined by mental health advocates, survivors, and lawmakers, recounted Samaritans’ evolving work over the last half-century to provide preventive and crisis services, as well as community outreach to raise awareness about signs of suicide. (Kuznitz, 4/1)

The Atlantic: The Doctor Will Ask About Your Gun Now 
A man comes to Northwell Health’s hospital on Staten Island with a sprained ankle. Any allergies? the doctor asks. How many alcoholic drinks do you have each week? Do you have access to firearms inside or outside the home? When the patient answers yes to that last question, someone from his care team explains that locking up the firearm can make his home safer. ... Northwell Health is part of a growing movement of health-care providers that want to talk with patients about guns like they would diet, exercise, or sex—treating firearm injury as a public-health issue. (Walecki, 4/1)