A recent study found using an automated texting program can reduce readmissions and emergency department visits by 41 percent.

The nation's worst flu outbreak in more than a decade is slowing down, though flu activity remains high overall, according to the CDC's latest FluView report. 

Omicron subvariant XBB is encroaching on BQ.1 and BQ.1.1's dominance, CDC data shows, as it accounts for 18.3 percent of U.S. cases and makes up more than 1 in 2 infections in the Northeast. 

The CDC issued a health advisory Dec. 22 to alert the medical community of a rise in severe strep A infections among children. 

The 2022-2023 flu season is well underway, with the U.S. seeing the highest hospitalization rates in more than a decade.

The National Institutes of Health is partnering with Sheba Medical Center in Israel to create a pandemic research institute, the organizations said Dec. 22.

Global health experts are closely monitoring COVID-19 activity in Beijing where the highly transmissible omicron subvariant BF.7 is fueling a surge in cases.

While the respiratory "tripledemic" continues to slam emergency rooms and children's hospitals, there are two glimmers of hope on the horizon, according to a Dec. 22 report in The New York Times. 

Last year, the average life expectancy for Americans shortened by over seven months, according to new CDC data. 

Supporting nurses and promoting their well-being was a top priority for chief nursing officers this year amid workforce shortages and ongoing pandemic stressors. 

A new study suggests there may be an underlying genetic cause for why some children develop a rare but serious inflammatory condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, after a COVID-19 infection. 

Charlottesville-based University of Virginia Health System researchers found commonly used antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can interact with inflammation in a mother's body, resulting in permanent brain changes in a fetus, Science Daily reported Dec. 20.

Early evidence suggests a cocktail of two existing medications could mitigate or eliminate brain fog among patients with long COVID-19, according to researchers at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

Layering a surgical mask over an N95 may cause leakage, according to a study published Dec. 20 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 

In a recent press release, Healthmark Industries announced the launch of their newest game on Crazy4Clean.com, “The Instrument Travel Guide.”

The Joint Commission is undergoing sweeping overhaul of its standards, eliminating 168 standards (14 percent) and revising another 14 standards. The organization is looking to make its accreditation programs as "efficient and impactful on patient safety, quality and equity as possible," according to Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, president and chief executive officer of The Joint Commission.

Four hospitals received Magnet designation for the first time in November, according to the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The Joint Commission will not raise accreditation fees for hospitals in 2023, the accrediting body told Becker's Dec. 21. 

Healthcare facilities should no longer routinely screen symptom-free patients for COVID-19 upon admission or before procedures, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America said Dec. 21.

As flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 collide this winter, questions linger about the potential for people to contract multiple infections at once.