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Analysis Predicts Big Drop for U.S. in Global Health Rankings

Americans are falling farther behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to health and life expectancy, a new study shows.

Life expectancy in the United States is expected to increase to 79.9 years in 2035 and 80.4 years by 2050, up from 78.3 years in 2022, researchers reported.

T...

America's Rural Hospitals Are Shutting Down Maternity Wards

Hospitals across America are shuttering their obstetric units, and the issue is most acute for women served by rural hospitals, a new study finds.

By 2022, a majority (52%) of rural U.S. hospitals no longer had any maternity ward, compared to 36% of urban hospitals, according to a study from the University of Minnesota.

Study lead author

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 5, 2024
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    • Most Young People With Long COVID Recover Within 2 Years

    Most children and teenagers can shake long COVID within a couple of a years, a new, reassuring study finds.

    About 70% of children and teens diagnosed with long COVID recover from the disorder within 24 months of their initial infection, researchers reported Dec. 4 in the journal Nature Communications Medicine.

    &ldq...

    Can AI Boost Accuracy of Doctors' Diagnoses?

    AI can’t yet help doctors improve their ability to diagnose complex conditions, a sobering new study has found.

    Doctors had about the same diagnostic accuracy whether or not they were using ChatGPT Plus, according to results published recently in the journal JAMA Network Open.

    However, ...

    1 in 3 Surgery Patients Suffer Complications

    More than a third of surgical patients develop complications as a result of their procedure, a new study shows.

    About 38% of adult patients suffer an adverse event during or following their surgery, researchers reported Nov. 13 in the BMJ.

    Nearly half of these complications result in serious, life-threatening or ...

    Walking Pneumonia Cases Spike Among Young Kids

    Walking pneumonia cases are surging among young children in the United States, federal health officials warn.

    "Bacterial infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae increased in the United States since late spring and have remained high," a sta...

    Too Much Fasting in Hospital Could Have Downside for Orthopedic Surgery Patients

    The repeated fasting required for multiple surgeries in a row can slow a patient’s recovery and increase the risk of death, a new study warns.

    Surgical patients are asked to not eat after midnight prior to their procedure, to reduce the risk that they&r...

    Someday, Bedside Blood Test May Deliver Results in 1 Hour

    A handheld pinprick blood test could someday deliver results in as little as an hour, a new study shows.

    The portable device, which fits in the palm of a hand, uses sound waves to separate a tiny whole blood sample down into microscopic biomarkers, researchers reported Oct. 16 in the journal Science Advances.

    ...

    Biden Administration Uses Wartime Powers to Help Restart IV Fluid Plant in North Carolina

    Following hurricane damage that shuttered a North Carolina plant that makes 60% of the country's IV fluids, U.S. health officials have invoked the Defense Production Act to hasten rebuilding of the factory.

    A nationwide shortage of IV fluids has only worsened since Hurricane Helene wrecked the plant run by Baxter International Inc. late last month, and hospitals say they are still postpon...

    Half of Patients With Sepsis Die Within 2 Years, Hospital Study Finds

    Half of people who develop blood poisoning, otherwise known as sepsis, are dead within a couple of years, a new study finds.

    A little more than 50% of patients admitted to an ER with

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 15, 2024
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    • IV Fluid Plant in Florida Remains Functional After Milton

    Facing a nationwide shortage of vital IV fluids after Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant, officials heaved a sigh of relief at the news that a second plant in Daytona Beach, Fla., was spared by Hurricane Milton and remains functional.

    According to the New York Times, a spokeswoman for B. Braun, the company that runs the Daytona Beach plant, said the fa...

    U.S. Scrambles to Find Hospital IV Fluids After Helene Damages NC Plant

    After Hurricane Helene knocked out a North Carolina production plant for a major supplier of IV fluids for U.S. hospitals, officials said the federal government is reaching out internationally to help restore supply.

    The situation could get even worse: As Hurricane Milton barreled down on Florida, a second IV fluid maker's facility in Daytona Beach was in its crosshairs, the New York ...

    Florida Hospitals Brace for Hurricane Milton's Arrival

    As Hurricane Milton barreled toward the west coast of Florida, hospitals in its path were making ready.

    Milton is projected to make landfall a bit south of the Tampa area late Wednesday night. Long-term care facilities in counties where mandatory evacuations have been issued have taken their patients elsewhere, while some hospitals prepare to stay open through the storm, the Associat...

    AI May Not Be Ready to Run Emergency Rooms

    AI isn’t ready to run a hospital’s emergency room just yet, a new study concludes.

    ChatGPT likely would ask for unnecessary x-rays and antibiotics for some patients, and admit others who don’t really need hospital treatment, researchers reported Oct. 8 ...

    Hospital Drug Tests Far More Likely for Minority Teens

    Teens from minority groups seeking treatment at pediatric trauma centers are more likely than their white counterparts to be tested for drugs and alcohol.

    That's the takeaway from a new study led by researchers at UCLA and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 

    "While screening can positively affect patients if it is followed by counseling and treatment, it can also lead to negative...

    1 in 14 U.S. Hospital Patients Fall Victim to Harmful Diagnostic Errors

    One in 14 hospital patients may be the victim of damaging diagnostic mistakes, new research suggests.

    The finding is from a study of 675 patients admitted to one large hospital in Boston at various periods between July 2019 and September 2021. The patients were randomly selected from more than 9,000 hospitalized during that time.

    "The majority of [the diagnostic errors] were prevent...

    Therapy Dogs Can Ease Nurses', Doctors' Stress, Too

    Therapy dogs can help boost the spirits of health care workers in the same way they brighten the moods of hospital patients, a new study shows.

     The furry, four-legged friends reduced emotional exhaustion and job stress among a small group of workers at two surgical and two i...

    Rural Hospitals Especially Vulnerable to Ransomware Attacks

    Rural hospitals – and their patients -- are particularly vulnerable to the aftershocks caused by ransomware attacks, a new study reports.

    “Ransomware attacks are bad news for hospitals and patients no matter where they happen, but they’re especially harmful to rural hospitals and patients,” lead re...

    Hospital Patients Can Bring 'Superbugs' Home

    Patients discharged from a hospital stay are bringing antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” home with them, a new study warns.

    Family members of recently discharged patients are 71 times more likely to get a MRSA infection after their return, compared with people ...

    Is It Really Pneumonia? Study Casts Doubt on Hospital Diagnoses

    Hospitals could be frequently misdiagnosing pneumonia, causing patients to receive the wrong treatments and potentially become deathly ill, a new study finds.

    More than half the time, a pneumonia diagnosis will change following a patient’s admission to the hosp...

    Some Americans Lost Trust in Medical Profession During Pandemic

    The number of people who trust doctors dropped steeply during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study says.

    Worse, those who lost their faith in medicine are less likely to get vaccinated against COVID or the flu, researchers found.

    “Trust in physicians and hospitals can be critical for public...

    CDC Warns of Shortage of Bottles Needed for Crucial Blood Tests

    Hospitals and clinical laboratories across the United States are facing a critical shortage of bottles used to culture blood samples, federal health officials report.

    Without the ability to culture blood, patients might receive the wrong antibiotics to treat conditions like endocarditis,

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 24, 2024
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    • Risk of Mental Illness Rises for Kids Treated in ICUs

    Youngsters so sick they’ve needed treatment in an ICU appear to bear the scars of that experience years later, a new study finds.

    Children and teenagers treated in an intensive care unit have a significantly higher risk of developing a mental illness as they grow up, researchers reported July 20 in the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 24, 2024
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    • Thousands of Hospital Patients in Oregon May Have Been Exposed to Hepatitis, HIV

    After an anesthesiologist may have exposed thousands of people treated at several hospitals in Oregon to hepatitis and HIV, those patients are being advised to get tested for the diseases.

    Two health care providers in Portland -- Providence and Legacy Health -- have been told to offer the tests as a safety precaution.

    "We recently learned that Providence's comprehensive infection co...

    Fake Botox Shots Land 13 Women in Hospital

    Seventeen women in nine states have fallen ill after getting fake Botox shots, with 13 of them landing in the hospital and one requiring a ventilator, a new report warns.

    In the report, published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers provided alarming details of patien...

    Most Americans Would Welcome Hospital Care at Home, Survey Shows

    Many Americans like the idea of receiving hospital-level care at home, believing they'd recover from their ills faster and without safety risks. 

    "Patients of course want the best-quality care, but often prefer to be at home, especially if technology allows them to work closely with their physician toward recovery," said study leader

  • Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 10, 2024
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    • New ER Program Helped More Patients Get Needed Hospice Care

    One hospital's push to transition patients who are nearing the end of life from the emergency room to hospice care appears to be working.

    After the program went into effect, 54% of ER patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston transitioned to hospice care within 96 hours. That compared to 22% before the program began in 2021.

    Their findings suggest that such programs may hel...

    Cancer Patients Get Poorer Care at Hospitals Serving Minority Communities

    Cancer patients receive less effective treatment at hospitals that mainly serve minority communities, a new study shows.

    More than 9% of cancer patients are treated at hospitals where a significant percentage of patients are from minority groups, researchers say.

    Those patients are less lik...

    1 in 20 ER Visits Involve Homeless People

    At major medical centers across the southeast, 1 in every 20 visits to emergency departments involve people who are homeless or face "housing insecurity," a new U.S. study finds.

    Concerns of suicide was the leading medical reason bringing these types of patients to the ER and many were uninsured, said a team reporting recently in the journal

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 30, 2024
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    • Too Many U.S. Women Disrespected, Mistreated During Childbirth

    Childbirth is a harrowing ordeal, and it's being made worse by mistreatment from health care providers during labor, a new study says.

    More than one in every eight women are mistreated during childbirth, researchers found.

    Most commonly, women's requests for help during

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 4, 2024
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    • Urinary Implant Helps Alert When Patients 'Gotta Go'

    It's hard for some folks who suffer illness-related urinary incontinence to judge whether they'll be able to hold it until they get home, or if they should rush to a bathroom now.

    There might soon be a new app for that.

    A newly developed soft, flexible, battery-free implant attaches to the b...

    Shortage of Primary Care Doctors Could Bring Crowded ERs: Study

    Americans living in areas where primary care doctors and nurse practitioners are in short supply face a greater risk for emergency surgeries and complications, new research shows.

    They're also more likely to wind up back in the hospital after they've left it.

    That's because serious health issues don't get addressed until they become emergencies, said lead study author

  • Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
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  • March 12, 2024
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    • Heavy Sedation Could Drive Hispanic Patients' Higher Death Rate While on Ventilators

    Hispanic Americans who are hospitalized and placed on ventilators have a higher risk of death than their white peers, and new research may reveal a reason why.

    The study found that Hispanic patients in respiratory failure receive heavy sedation at a rate that is five times that of white patients, according to researchers at New York University (NYU).

    That could lower their odds for...

    Half of U.S. Health Care Workers Say They've Witnessed Racism Against Patients

    Nearly half of health care workers nationwide say they've seen discrimination against patients while on the job, a new report reveals.

    While 47% of health workers said they've witnessed discrimination against patients in their facilities, 52% said racism against patients is a major problem, according to the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • February 15, 2024
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    • Doctor 'Alert' Warnings Helped One Health System Reduce Unnecessary Tests

    The doctor tapped at his computer, ordering a routine prostate exam for an 80-year-old man, when a dramatic yellow alert popped up on the patient's electronic health record.

    "You are ordering a test that no guideline recommends," it warned. "Screening with PSA can lead to harms from diagnostic and treatment procedures. If you proceed without a justification, the unnecessary test will be n...

    Non-White U.S. Kids Get Worse Pediatric Care

    Pediatric care for kids who aren't white is worse across the United States, a new study finds.

    Racial inequities for children of color are pervasive, extending from neonatal care, emergency medicine and surgery to treatment of developmental disabilities, mental health issues and pain, researchers say.

    "We now have more evidence than ever that pediatric care in the U.S. is not only d...

    'Default' Orders for Palliative Care Speed Relief for Hospital Patients in Pain

    Palliative care is meant to ease suffering at any stage of disease, but too often many patients wait too long for this type of care to be ordered.

    Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may have come up with a solution: Make consultations regarding the need for palliative care a "default" part of hospital care, giving more patients quick access if it's needed.

    As explain...

    Hospital Costs Soared for COVID Patients During Pandemic

    The average cost of hospital care for COVID-19 patients skyrocketed during the pandemic, outstripping what might be expected under inflation, a new study shows.

    Average hospital costs for COVID patients increased five times faster than the rate of medical inflation through the first two years of the pandemic, researchers have found.

    This is at least partly due to the pricey medical ...

    Post-Trauma Support Can Prevent Repeat Hospitalizations

    When hospitals support trauma survivors' mental health during and after treatment, patients are less likely to return in crisis, researchers report.

    There's no uniform guidance on how to offer mental health services to these patients, noted lead study author Laura Prater.

    Fewer hospital readmissions are a good sign that people's menta...

    Your Toothbrush Could Be a Life Saver in the Hospital

    A person's toothbrush could be a true lifesaver if they land in a hospital ICU, according to new evidence review.

    Regular toothbrushing is associated with lower rates of death in the intensive care unit (ICU), shorter lengths of stay, and shorter times spent on a mechanical ventilator, researchers report in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

    That's bec...

    Black Patients Less Likely to Get Home Health Care After Hospital Discharge

    Nurses are less likely to discharge still-recovering Black patients to home health care than white patients, a new study has found.

    About 22% of Black patients are referred to home health care by discharge nurses, compared with 27% of white patients, according to a report published in the January issue of the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 11, 2023
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    • Majority of Workers at America's Nursing Homes Unvaccinated Against Flu, COVID

    Health care workers at America's nursing homes are woefully under-vaccinated for both flu and COVID-19, threatening their own health and that of the frail elderly patients under their care, a new report finds.

    Looking at 2023 data collected at nearly 14,000 nursing homes nationwide, researchers found that that fewer than one in every four (22.9%) health care workers had received up-to-dat...

    Black, Hispanic Patients Often Get Worse Hospital Care After Cardiac Arrest

    Black and Hispanic Americans might be receiving worse hospital care following cardiac arrest than Whites do, a new study reports.

    Only about 20% of Blacks and 22% of Hispanics admitted to a hospital after initially surviving cardiac arrest had a positive outcome, researchers found. The rest either died or suffered brain damage.

    By comparison, nearly 34% of Whites had a positive outc...

    CDC Advisors Recommend Masks in Hospitals Without Naming Type

    Advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have voted to recommend that health providers wear masks during routine care for patients who are thought to be contagious.

    Still, health care workers were frustrated that the draft recommendation does not specify what kind of mask should be worn -- loose-fitting surgical masks or fitted, tightly woven N95 masks.

    The CD...

    Critics Slam Updated Infection Control Recommendations for Hospitals

    Advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to approve new draft guidelines for hospital infection control this week, the first update since 2007.

    But healthcare workers worry whether the guidelines, which suggest that surgical masks are as good as N-95 masks at preventing the spread of respiratory infections during routine care, are protecting a hospital'...

    • Robin Foster and Cara Murez and Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporters
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    • November 3, 2023
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    Simple Antibiotic Switch for Pneumonia Patients Could Prevent Hospital Infection

    A new study on Clostridioides difficile infections finds that choosing an alternative antibiotic for high-risk patients with pneumonia can reduce infection risk.

    C. diff infections can be deadly, and they are often acquired by hospitalized patients taking broad-spectrum antibiotics.

    More than 450,000 C. diff infections are reported in the United States eac...

    Many U.S. Health Care Workers Face Harassment, Burnout

    Health workers are experiencing ever-increasing levels of harassment and burnout in the wake of the pandemic, a new federal survey has found.

    Reports of harassment on the job more than doubled during the pandemic years, and nearly half of health care workers often experience feelings of burnout, according to survey results published Oct. 24 in a new

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • October 25, 2023
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    • Smaller Blood Draws for Lab Tests Reduce Need for Transfusions

    Drawing smaller amounts of blood from patients in the intensive care unit could lead to fewer blood transfusions, according to new research.

    The large clinical trial in Canada found that making this small change could save tens of thousands of units of blood each year in that country.

    "While the amount of blood drawn per tube is relatively small, ICU patients typically require mult...

    'Boarding' Patients for Days, Weeks in Crowded ERs Is Common Now

    When Hannah, a California marketing professional, showed up at her local emergency room in March 2023 for a pregnancy-related complication, she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

    "I arrived at 2 p.m. and finally saw the obstetrics team at midnight,"she recalled.

    After an exam, doctors scheduled her for a procedure on the following day, but there wasn't a room available. "I end...

    COVID Triggered More Cases of Deadly Sepsis During Pandemic Than Thought

    The life-threatening infection sepsis was more common than once thought among COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic.

    Massachusetts researchers linked SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to about 1 in 6 sepsis cases at five Boston hospitals during the pandemic's first 2-1/2 years.

    Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital said their findings suggest health care workers sho...