In this episode of our new podcast series, Jess Williams, co-editor, recaps the blog posts we published on The Medical Care Blog in November and previews the December issue of Medical Care. As a bonus, Lisa Flaherty from the APHA Medical Care Section interviews two of our December contributors: Dr. Sharla Smith, founder of the… Read More »
Front-line workers are always at risk. It’s in the name. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this reality more salient for everyone. Risks of sickness from COVID-19 include death and morbidity. Front-line workers may also have lost more friends and co-workers than the average person. Healthcare workers have also been subject to violence and see the… Read More »
Nonprofit hospitals make up the majority of hospitals in the US. In exchange for their tax-exempt status, the federal government requires these hospitals to provide support in the form of community benefits. Tracking community benefit spending and its impact is important to ensure that such spending aligns with community needs. Community benefit activities can include… Read More »
How is research on patient-centered transitional care going? A supplement on this topic funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was recently published in Medical Care. Care transitions are “ripe with hazard,” as discussed in an editorial from Amy Berman. As pointed out by Berman, figuring out what works and what doesn’t is critical to… Read More »
Barriers to immigration into the United States are a common topic of political debates. Less frequently publicized are the numerous barriers to healthcare that undocumented immigrants (UIs) face even after their arrival. These obstacles can have profoundly negative effects: not just on the individual immigrants’ health, but on their local communities as a whole. Medical… Read More »
This is Part 2 of my interview with Saira Haque, PhD a telehealth expert and the Director of RTI’s Data Interoperability and Clinical Informatics program, and Nick Richardson, PhD a research analyst in RTI’s Applied Justice Research division. Part 1 is here. What are the benefits to using telehealth? Dr. Haque: As mentioned earlier, it… Read More »
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, telehealth is becoming increasingly ingrained within our healthcare system. This includes environments beyond the traditional office or hospital setting. With 2.3 million people currently residing in US jails or prisons, healthcare delivery to justice-involved individuals (JIIs) is an important component to consider. (Note: the term “justice-involved individual (JII)” refers to those… Read More »
To be at the intersection of technology and product development in a field as ripe for disruption as healthcare couldn’t be more opportune. But how can we use technology to improve community health, especially after COVID-19? Technology and Health: A Budding Relationship On April 10th 2020 the Apple-Google partnership announced a notification tool for contact tracing to support… Read More »
While working as a nurse, I remember one instance of caring for two patients who were twins. Along with the same birthday and the same last name, they both had very similar first names. The twins were roughly around the same height, the same weight, and also had the same hair color. At first glance… Read More »
When was the last time you recall seeing your health information recorded on paper? Probably not recently. As stressed in an earlier blog post, electronic health record (EHR) adoption is becoming commonplace for a majority of healthcare providers. Your personal information that was once stored on stagnant paper records is now being captured in dynamic… Read More »
Working in the healthcare profession can be both physically and emotionally draining for anyone, no matter their role or job title. Over half of physicians in the US [PDF] experience symptoms of burnout, and studies estimate a large percentage of nurses experience emotional exhaustion and have a higher prevalence of depression when compared to other US workers. Exhaustion… Read More »
What do you use your cell phone for on a daily basis? Many people would say using social media, texting, and placing phone calls– but have you ever considered your smartphone as a tool to improve medication adherence? Our phones are an integral part of our lives, and consequently, researchers, clinicians, and patients have all… Read More »