Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Violence Against Nurses Is On The Rise; Changes Needed To Prevent Physician Burnout
USA Today: Nurses Get Spit On, Kicked, Assaulted. Stop Hurting Us. We Are Here To Help You.
A physician friend shared a photo of a sign the staff posted in the hospital where she works. It warned readers: Do not assault us, we’re here to help you. A year ago, health care workers were being called heroes, but now they’re being attacked by the very people whose lives they’re trying to save. As a nurse and a doctor, we need you to understand the epidemic of violence that’s raging in our hospitals right now, and what’s at stake if we don’t stop it. (Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider and Sarah Warren, 1/10)
Stat: What The Physician Exodus Means To Medical Students Like Me
Here’s how I describe being in medical school during the coronavirus pandemic: It feels like I’m starting a job at a new building, except the building is on fire and everyone is rushing outside as they try to save their own lives. It is an appropriate comparison, as nearly 1 in 5 health care workers has left medicine since the pandemic began. The physician exodus sends a clear message to trainees like me: “It isn’t safe here.” It’s a message that has been on display again and again throughout the pandemic. (Tricia Pendergrast, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times: Lung Failure Leads To COVID Tragedies, But Lung Disease Was A Crisis Even Before The Pandemic
The World Health Organization reports that more than 5 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, with numbers rapidly rising again. When we look at how people with COVID-19 die, the most common cause is catastrophic lung failure. Once the lungs fail, other organs soon follow, like a game of Jenga when the linchpin block is removed. At this stage, even for patients thought to be previously healthy, we cannot stop the virus from wreaking havoc. It’s a painfully familiar script for many admitted to the hospital with minor breathing issues: Blood oxygen levels drop. Supplemental oxygen isn’t enough. They end up on a mechanical ventilator. Days later they are dead. (Dr. MeiLan K. Han, 1/10)
The New York Times: As An ER Doctor, I Fear Health Care Collapse More Than Omicron
As the Omicron tsunami crashes ashore in New York City, the comforting news that this variant generally causes milder disease overlooks the unfolding tragedy happening on the front lines. As an emergency room doctor fighting this new surge, I am grateful that vaccines and a potentially less lethal variant have meant that fewer of my patients today need life support than they did at the start of the pandemic. In March 2020, nurses and doctors rushed between patients, endlessly trying to stabilize one before another crashed. Many of my patients needed supplemental oxygen and the sickest needed to be put on ventilators. Many never came off them. Our intensive care units filled beyond capacity, and yet patients kept coming. (Dr. Craig Spencer, 1/10)
Modern Healthcare: Payer-Provider Partnerships Can Play Key Role In Suicide Prevention
On average, approximately 130 Americans die by suicide each day. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been concern that stressors induced by the pandemic, such as social isolation, economic challenges, depression and limited access to healthcare services, would increase suicidal behaviors. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that overall suicide rates decreased during COVID-19, rates increased among young people and people of color, the latter of which were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. (Indira Paharia, 1/7)
The Star Tribune: A Unified Front On The Opioid Crisis
Minnesota is now in line to receive $296 million over 18 years to deal with the state's opioid crisis, thanks to hard work and collaboration among counties, local governments and the state attorney general's office. The recent agreement will send tens of millions of dollars to communities that have suffered the brunt of opioid overdoses among their residents. That is a welcome infusion of funds that can be used to expand addiction recovery efforts, treatment, intervention, additional law enforcement, child protection, education and cover a host of other expenses from the epidemics. (1/9)
