COVID-19 patients treated in the intensive care unit during peak occupancy periods were nearly twice as likely to die compared to those treated during periods of lower ICU occupancy, according to a JAMA Network Open study published Jan. 19. 

Researchers at St. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine developed a one-hour blood test that could help identify which COVID-19 patients are at the greatest risk of severe complications or death. 

State health officials are investigating Kalamazoo (Mich.) Psychiatric Hospital after a patient died at the facility  this month, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told Becker's Jan. 15.

Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients may experience symptoms for up to six months, according to a study published Jan. 8 in The Lancet.

An academic analysis of 1.8 million hospital births in Florida between 1992 and 2015 found that the Black infant mortality rate was cut in half when Black infants were delivered by Black physicians, reported The Washington Post.

The use of two arthritis drugs may lower the death rate for severely ill COVID-19 patients, according to research published Jan. 7 in the medical preprint server medRXiv.

Many patients preferred to pay more to receive care from a provider with a better quality ranking in a Jan. 5 study published in Health Affairs.

At least 10 people were transported to area hospitals after rioters supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol grounds Jan. 6, and five people died, including a woman who was shot by a Capitol police officer, reports NBC Washington.

The implementation of a safety protocol helped to reduce self-harm for high-risk patients in the emergency department, according to findings published in the January issue of The Joint Commision Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 

Researchers have identified more than 200 long-term symptoms that can affect COVID-19 "long haulers," or people who experience prolonged effects from the virus, according to a survey published Dec. 24 in the medical preprint server medRxiv.

COVID-19 viral loads could be a useful indicator of which patients may need higher levels of care, The New York Times reports. 

The Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control editorial team chose the following 10 patient safety issues for healthcare leaders to prioritize in 2021, presented below in no particular order, based on news, study findings and trends reported in the past year.

A small number of COVID-19 patients with no history of mental illness are developing severe psychotic symptoms weeks to months after contracting the virus, reports The New York Times.

Many healthcare workers aren't using COVID-19 antibody drugs from Eli Lilly and Regeneron, citing lack of data and staffing shortages, The Wall Street Journal reports. 

A safety board temporarily halted a clinical trial that uses high-dose blood thinners in severe COVID-19 patients due to potential harm, reports The New York Times.

Headache specialists are reporting an uptick of new or worsening symptoms among their patients — and the pandemic may be responsible, The Washington Post reports. 

Black children with sepsis are more likely to die than white or Hispanic kids, a study published Dec. 14 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health found.

Even moderate levels of sleep deprivation among physicians can cause a significant increase in the risk of medical errors, a study published Dec. 7 in JAMA Network Open found.

Older patients who have an operation on their surgeon's birthday have a higher 30-day mortality rate, a study published Dec.10 in The BMJ found.

In 2017, two organizations updated national guidelines for treating and diagnosing Clostridioides difficile infection. New research published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases validates these guideline changes, suggesting they nearly doubled hospitals' ability to predict C. difficile mortality.