March/April 2021 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

ON THE COVER

Why side effects are more common with 2nd COVID-19 shot: 5 notes
Side effects appear to be more common after the second dose for both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

10 best paying locations for nurses
The median salary for registered nurses in the U.S. was $73,300 in 2019, according to U.S. News & World Report.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: How do you maintain patient experience during the pandemic?
It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare in almost every conceivable way. It has had a powerful impact on the key metrics of any healthcare organization. Quality, financial, employee engagement and patient experience metrics have all been affected in ways we are still trying to understand.

How 3 health systems are handling discharges during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare leaders nationwide to rethink how their organizations approach safe discharges, as virus-related visitor restrictions mean many family members cannot be at the patient's bedside to hear discharge instructions.

Cedars-Sinai opens COVID-19 recovery program
Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Group launched a COVID-19 Recovery Program to treat patients cleared of the novel virus who still have lingering symptoms weeks or months later, according to a Jan. 26 news release.

Johns Hopkins shares proposal for equitable vaccine distribution
Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University has released a proposal meant to guide officials working to advance equity in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.

Physician viewpoint: Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is rampant, but facilities aren't sounding the alarm
Hospitals must adopt rapid, frequent COVID-19 testing for staff to protect patients from hospital-acquired COVID-19, Manoj Jain, MD, an infectious disease consultant for several hospitals in Memphis, Tenn., wrote in a Jan. 21 op-ed published in The Washington Post.

Focus on COVID-19 facilitated spread of drug-resistant infections, experts say
The reuse of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings amid COVID-19 likely allowed drug-resistant infections to spread easier, The New York Times reported Jan. 27.

Physicians see spike in rare inflammatory condition linked to COVID-19
Physicians are reporting a significant uptick in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare inflammatory condition potentially linked to COVID-19, reports The New York Times.

Current systolic blood pressure guideline too high for women, study suggests
Women have a lower normal blood pressure range than men, according to new research from the Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles. Current blood pressure guidelines do not account for these differences and therefore may put women at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers said.

COVID-19 might be triggering new-onset diabetes, researchers say
New-onset diabetes could be another complication added to the list of health problems associated with COVID-19, The Washington Post reported Feb. 1.

Woman dies 2 months after contracting COVID-19 from donor lungs
A woman with chronic obstructive lung disease contracted COVID-19 from a pair of donor lungs and died 61 days after the transplant — the first confirmed donor-to-recipient transmission of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to a case report published Feb. 10 in the American Journal of Transplantation.

Widow inspires Renown Health hospitals to lift visitor restrictions for COVID-19 patients
Reno, Nev.-based Renown Health said it has lifted visitor restrictions and is encouraging limited visitors for patients, including those with COVID-19.

14 health systems team up on 'ethical innovation' with launch of provider-led data platform
Fourteen health systems, including Trinity Health, Northwell Health and Tenet Health, are partnering to create a comprehensive, de-identified data platform that will glean more robust insights on medical conditions such as rare diseases and COVID-19.

INFECTION CONTROL

Many clinicians in endoscopy units lack formal reprocessing training, study suggests
Few nurses or endoscopy technicians undergo formal training on infection control and reprocessing before joining endoscopy units, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

California nursing home fined $59K for not properly protecting staff from COVID-19
Fremont (Calif.) Healthcare Center was fined $59,000 by California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health for not properly protecting its staff from COVID-19, reports Mercury News.

Young, middle-aged adults biggest COVID-19 spreaders, study finds
As of October 2020, the majority of U.S. COVID-19 infections originated from people between the ages of 20 and 49, according to a report published Feb. 3 in Science Magazine.

1 vaccine dose may be sufficient for COVID-19 survivors, early research suggests
Some people who have experienced symptomatic COVID-19 infections have reported intense side effects after one vaccine dose, leading researchers to believe two doses may not be necessary, reports The New York Times.

Massachusetts allows 'companion' vaccinations, prompts outpouring of volunteers
Massachusetts updated its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility rules Feb. 10, allowing companions of people age 75 or older visiting mass vaccination sites to also receive the vaccine. Now, some residents are turning to Craigslist to try to take advantage of the program, Gov. Charlie Baker told CBS Boston.

PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES

Heart failure drug may treat cardiac condition linked to COVID-19, study says
Ivabradine, a drug used for heart failure, improved symptoms associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a condition that causes rapid heart rate and lightheadedness, according to research published Feb. 15 in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Many cancer survivors have underlying conditions that can worsen COVID-19 infection, study finds
About 56 percent of cancer survivors have an underlying medical condition associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, a study published Feb. 3 in Journal of the National Cancer Institute found.

Cervical cancer screenings fell 80% during California's stay-at-home order, CDC finds
Cervical cancer screening rates dropped substantially at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's Southern California division after the state implemented a stay-at-home order last spring, the CDC said in a Jan. 29 report.

World's 1st successful face, double hand transplant competed at NYU Langone
NYU Langone Health performed the world's first successful face and double hand transplant on a 22-year-old patient in August, the health system announced in a Feb. 3 news release.

PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE

Limiting workers' inhalation of COVID-19 virus must be top Biden priority, experts tell CDC
A group of physicians and scientists is calling on the CDC to do more to address inhalation exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and protect workers in high-risk settings, including hospitals.

31% of nurses cite burnout as reason for leaving job
Nearly one-third of nurses reported leaving their jobs because of burnout in 2018, representing the most recent national estimates, according to a study published Feb. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

10 best paying cities, states for physicians
Being a physician is one of the top jobs in the U.S., with a median salary of $206,500 in 2019, according to a U.S. News & World report.

36% of US adults have skipped, delayed care during pandemic, report finds
More than one-third of adults in the U.S. have skipped or delayed necessary medical care due to fear of COVID-19 exposure and limited care access during the pandemic, according to research funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Intermountain changes mammogram guidelines for women who get COVID-19 vaccine
Intermountain Healthcare has updated its mammography guidelines for women who plan to or have already received a COVID-19 vaccine, the health system said Feb. 9.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT

Dartmouth-Hitchcock creates postpartum screening program
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has launched a postpartum depression screening program for new mothers, the Lebanon, N.H.-based system said Feb. 16.

CDC: Mask mandates associated with decreased COVID-19 hospitalizations
COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped significantly in states with mask mandates in the weeks after implementing the statewide order, according to the CDC's Feb. 5 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Schizophrenia 2nd greatest risk factor for COVID-19 death, study finds
People with schizophrenia are nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those without the psychiatric condition, according to a study published Jan. 27 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Asthma drug reduces risk of COVID-19 hospitalization by 90%, study suggests
Inhaled budesonide, a drug commonly used to treat asthma, reduced the risk of urgent care or hospitalization for COVID-19 patients by 90 percent, according to a recent University of Oxford study.

DATA ANALYTICS & INFORMATICS

How to better understand COVID-19 data, per 3 hospital CIOs
Many Americans report being confused by the surplus of COVID-19 data being disseminated, while lags in data reporting and drastic fluctuations can lead to skepticism about the statistics' meaning and weight.

HCA taps AHRQ, Johns Hopkins & more for new COVID-19 data research consortium
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare established a COVID-19 data research initiative Jan. 26 focused on improving hospital care and public knowledge on the novel coronavirus alongside partners including Johns Hopkins and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

'We're fighting COVID one-handed': 2 Mass General physicians on the need to strengthen data systems
While the U.S. continues its widespread COVID-19 vaccination effort, there is still an urgent need to track virus transmission and strengthen national public health data systems to contain the spread, according to Louise Ivers, MD, and Wilfredo Matias, MD.

Google search activity can help predict COVID-19 outbreaks, studies show
Researchers are examining Google search data's potential to predict COVID-19 outbreaks so hospitals and public health departments can better anticipate case surges.

UC Health, California health department to roll out COVID-19 data modeling system
University of California Health and the California Department of Public Health will launch a data modeling consortium to help hospital administrators and public health officials make decisions based on timely, accurate insights.