In the last six years, antidepressant prescriptions have increased by 35 percent, and now a new study, published Jan. 23, points to evidence that this increase may also be contributing to drug resistance in bacteria.

The Biden administration aims to expand access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act through a proposed rule issued Jan. 30.

Lengthening the time between a COVID-19 infection and inoculation improves a person's immunity, according to a study published Jan. 26 in the Journal for Clinical Investigation Insight. 

Thibodaux, La.-based Nicholls State University named Raquel Engolio, EdD, RN, dean of nursing.

Here are six organizations opening or expanding nursing programs: 

Throughout Cleveland Clinic's healthcare system, a protocol known as "code sepsis" allows physicians to diagnose and treat the infection before it becomes life threatening. The hospital's standardized sepsis response is carried out by by specialized response teams at the bedside. 

Behind the scenes at the World Health Organization, epidemiologists track a list of the most important infectious diseases to keep tabs on. The list is of utmost importance — particularly in an age where a global pandemic has already occurred. This is why in November, the WHO recruited300 scientists to help identify the most infectious pathogens to update the list, which previously had not been revised since 2018.

More than one-third of aspiring nurses who allegedly purchased phony degrees to bypass coursework and training required to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination passed the test, The New York Times reported Jan. 27.  

A fire occurred in a hospital room at UPMC East Jan. 29 after a "patient may have attempted to light a cigarette while on oxygen," a hospital spokesperson told Becker's Jan. 30. 

The World Health Organization has determined COVID-19 remains a public health emergency. The agency's director-general accepted the recommendations of its emergency committee on Jan. 30. 

As state and federal investigations into a fraudulent nurse degree scheme continue, the Delaware Board of Nursing confirmed it has annulled the nursing licenses of 26 individuals, ABC affiliate WPVI reported Jan. 26.

The U.S. saw double-digit decreases in COVID-19 admissions and hospitalizations this week, even as XBB.1.5 grew to account for nearly two-thirds of all infections, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published Jan. 27. 

Flu metrics continue their steady decline in most of the U.S., though New Mexico and New York City are still reporting high levels of activity, according to the CDC's latest FluView report. 

Since June, the number of individuals who experience long COVID-19 has dropped, the Kaiser Family Foundation wrote of its findings after examining CDC data on long COVID-19. On top of that, more than 50 percent of patients who once reported having long COVID-19 say they are no longer affected by it.

All COVID-19 vaccines should be targeted to the original and dominant strains, an FDA advisory panel said Jan. 26, but members debated whether a new modified vaccine every 12 months is optimal.  

Concern is rising among health experts about the possibility of an H5N1 avian flu pandemic, as the strain has now been found in mammals. A Spanish mink farm was infected with the virus in October, signaling to experts the strain's capability to evolve and spread to other mammals, including humans, at possible pandemic levels.

State nursing boards are investigating individuals who allegedly purchased fraudulent nursing school degrees and diplomas as part of a widespread coordinated scheme, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing told Becker's Jan. 26. 

A patient incurred minor injuries at Portland, Ore.-based OHSU Hospital after a fire broke out in an operating room in Demember, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker's in a Jan. 26 statement. The incident prompted a CMS investigation and a corrective plan from the hospital. The news was first reported by NBC affiliate KGW8. 

A new study published in Nature found major gaps in the treatments of patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, bacteria that can lead to stomach ulcers and is persistently found to be a risk factor for gastric cancer — the fourth-deadliest cancer worldwide. 

Forty-one percent of nurses nationwide do not feel prepared for a future variant, surge or pandemic, data from the American Nurses Foundation's survey revealed.