Articles Tagged With:
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Understanding the Utility of Hemoglobin A1c in Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes in Early Pregnancy
In this retrospective cohort study of 243 pregnant women who had combined hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and a two-step oral glucose tolerance testing at less than 21 weeks of gestation, median values of HbA1c were higher in women with gestational diabetes compared to nondiabetics (5.8% compared to 5.3%; P < 0.001). The predictive probability of using HbA1c in diagnosing diabetes in early pregnancy was high compared to two-step testing (area under the curve, 0.8), with an optimal diagnostic threshold of 5.6%. Although a HbA1c level of > 6.5% is diagnostic of early gestational diabetes, a lower diagnostic threshold might be justified during pregnancy.
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Outpatient Foley Catheter for Induction of Labor in Nulliparous Women
In this randomized controlled trial among nulliparous patients with low Bishop scores, outpatient placement of a Foley catheter the day prior to scheduled admission, when compared to inpatient placement, showed a decreased mean time from admission to delivery.
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Maternal Sepsis: Risk Factors that Could Lead to Postpartum Readmission
In this analysis of California deliveries between 2008 and 2011, risk factors for maternal readmission for sepsis were found to include preterm birth, hemorrhage, obesity, and a primary cesarean delivery.
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Prenatal Care Visits During COVID-19
In this nested case-control study in the Boston area, there was no association between testing positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy or on admission to labor and delivery and the number of in-person prenatal care visits.
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Healthcare Workers Holding the Line Against Pandemic
Many have died and more have been sickened, but the nation’s healthcare workers are grimly holding the line against the worst pandemic in a century. Those who survive may pay a mental health price, a “moral injury” not unlike soldiers returning from war, mental health experts warn.
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Medication Reconciliation Improved with Artificial Intelligence and Electronic Health Record
Covenant Medical Center in Saginaw, MI, recently used artificial intelligence-driven technology to protect staff and improve the quality of care for patients in its emergency care unit, completely automating the medication reconciliation process.
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Non-Medical Home Care Can Fill Gaps to Help Seniors at Home
The frontline caregivers who visit patients’ homes and provide help with their activities of daily living often are the unrecognized helpers, preventing chronically ill patients from heading to the emergency department or hospital. As population health initiatives and case management increasingly transition at-risk patients home and keep them out of the hospital, there is a greater need for home-based resources.
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Care Coordination Program Fills Gaps in Social Determinants of Health
An interprofessional care coordination program helps train college students while helping vulnerable communities. The Richmond Health and Wellness Program began in 2012 with the three prongs of education, research, and service. The idea of the health and wellness program was to provide care to people to fill their gaps from social determinants of health.
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A Look at STRIDE Study Intervention
The Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders study produced breakthrough findings that suggest fall prevention among older adults is more challenging than the authors of previous research found.
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Falls Injure Millions of Americans, Cost $50 Billion Each Year
Recent studies challenge assumptions about how case managers and other healthcare professionals can reduce fall risk among older patients with comorbidities and recent hospital stays. The key is to focus on fall risk from just before a person is hospitalized to weeks after hospitalization.