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Maternal Health Reaches a Crisis Point in the United States
The number of women dying from pregnancy-related causes in the United States has risen dramatically since 2018. Those numbers may continue to rise sharply as the nation creates more maternity deserts, obstetric staffing shortages, and obstacles to standard maternity care in states that enforce abortion bans and restrictions that affect women experiencing pregnancy crises.
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FDA Approves New COVID Vaccine for Fall
COVID-19 advisors to the FDA voted unanimously to approve a new monovalent vaccine for the coming fall containing the currently predominant omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.
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APIC Supports Ending CMS Vaccine Mandate
In a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology supported the end of mandated COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers and suggested adding two key hospital infection risks as quality indicators.
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CMS Ends COVID Shot Mandate for HCWs
On Nov. 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began requiring healthcare workers to receive at least the initial series of COVID-19 vaccine. After considerable hue and cry — marked by lawsuits and resignations — the requirement was officially rescinded on June 5, 2023.
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Antibiotic Stewardship Must Overcome Deeply Held Dogma
Antibiotic therapy is steeped in dogma from case-series studies conducted in the 1940s and 1950s, which generated “low-quality” but persistent evidence before the era of widespread clinical trials, Emily Spivak, MD, said at the 2023 conference of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
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Multidose Vials Linked to HCV Spread in Clinic
An outbreak of hepatitis C virus among four patients at a Los Angeles pain clinic in September 2022 likely was caused by improper use of needles and multidose vials of local anesthetic.
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Lax Infection Control Suspected in Fungal Meningitis Outbreak
Infection control lapses, including the contamination of multidose vials of anesthetic, are suspected in a fungal meningitis outbreak that exposed about 200 American patients who received epidural injections this year in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico.
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Quality Improvement Project Aims to Decelerate Aggressive Hypertension Treatment
Although there might be good intentions behind administering intravenous antihypertensive medication, staff should remain mindful of possible consequences.
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Some Informed Consent Claims Do Not Require Expert Testimony to Establish Standard of Care
This case reinforces the importance of comprehensive communication practices and staying up to date on FDA guidelines and warnings for prescribed medications. The ruling could open the door to additional lawsuits for plaintiffs who otherwise would be unable to locate an expert willing to submit an affidavit.
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Early Missed Sepsis Diagnosis Leads to $2 Million Award for Patient
This case highlights the importance of screening patients properly and the compounding risks for nurses, physicians, and hospitals that can result when staff miss a screening.