Up to 56 percent of U.S. adults received inappropriate antibiotics for common bacterial respiratory infections between 2016 and 2018, according to findings from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Research released Feb. 2 and led by experts from Boston Children's Hospital examined the widespread barrier of vaccine deserts, defined as geographic areas that are "more than a 15-minute drive to the closest active COVID-19 vaccination site."

With a new year comes new goals, resolutions and aspirations for leaders across the nation. Chief nursing officers are facing many crises and priorities in the new year, from staff shortages to burnouts to a fake nursing degree scheme.

After undergoing an investigation one year ago that led to the surrendering of its nursing program license in September, Aspen University in Phoenix is now being asked to show why its accreditation should not be revoked altogether, ABC affiliate KNXV-TV reported Feb. 2.

Smallpox vaccinations may present a degree of protection from mpox infection, research from several Spain physicians has found.

Sentara Healthcare, based in Norfolk, Va., announced plans Feb. 2 to deploy more than 100 cameras to assist its healthcare professionals in monitoring high-risk patients, the Daily Press reported. 

Just 2 percent of more than 69,000 specimens tested for influenza at clinical laboratories in the U.S. were positive for the week ending Jan. 28, according to the CDC's latest FluView report. During the height of the flu outbreak in early December, the positivity rate surpassed 25 percent. 

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations fell nationwide this week, though the rate of decrease slowed compared to the week prior, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published Feb. 3. 

The highly infectious mpox virus, formerly called monkeypox, was declared a public health emergency in August and ended Jan. 31 thanks to an aggressive, highly coordinated public response, ABC News reported Feb. 2.

As the tripledemic raged in late 2022 and hospitals met capacity, Oregon regulators told hospitals in mid-December they could run with fewer nurses and reduced standards of patient care without telling patients, according to news outlet Lund Report. 

Unless significant efforts are made to increase recruitment and retention, the world is facing a projected shortage of up to 13 million nurses by 2030, according to a 2021 report from the International Council of Nurses.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall nationwide, though several states have seen this trend reverse in recent days. 

Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the nursing profession will expand by 6 percent by 2031, the nation currently faces a shortage.

Long COVID-19's myriad risk factors and symptoms have been a key focus for study as experts aim to learn more about the effects and duration in humans. Now, emerging research may have narrowed the swath of symptoms to seven prominent conditions.

A specific cytokine biomarker may be key to identifying any emerging infectious pathogens, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found in a study.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Jan. 31 signed an executive order aimed at reducing wait times for issuing licenses for professionals across the state, including nurses.

Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers found that the presence of academic medical centers were linked to better outcomes for patients treated at nearby community hospitals.

Instead of studying the connection between hospital staffing shortages and patient outcomes and satisfaction, it's time to implement effective strategies that focus on solutions. 

Compared to 2016, nearly twice as many Michigan nurses in 2023 say they know of an instance of a patient dying due to excessively high patient loads, according to polls commissioned by the Michigan Nurses Association. 

The number of hours physicians spend doing paperwork and other administrative duties rose to more than 15 hours a week in 2021, up from 10 hours per week in 2018, according to a Medscape report.