Hospital Medicine News

A risk score based on patient comorbidities, obesity, vital signs, age and sex accurately predicted death or respiratory decompensation within 7 days among patients with pneumonia, suspected COVID-19 or confirmed COVID-19, data show.

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine codeveloped by Pfizer and BioNTech has received emergency use authorization from the FDA, experts said physicians need to begin preparing their patients — and themselves — for vaccination.

Playing recordings of soft music or soothing words through earphones when patients are under general anesthesia could help them reduce the need for opioids after surgery, according to a study published in BMJ.

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may not lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

Editor’s note: One of the studies cited in this story, conducted in Egypt, has since been retracted. The FDA has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19. Moreover, the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends against ivermectin for the treatment of outpatients with COVID-19, unless in the context of a clinical trial.

The American College of Emergency Physicians announced that it is “disappointed and dismayed” by CMS’s final 2021 Medicare physician fee schedule rule, which will lead to reduced reimbursement for emergency medicine services.

A fall prevention toolkit that engages hospitalized patients and their families was linked to fewer falls and injuries, according to research published in JAMA Network Open.

In a 13-1 vote, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Tuesday that health care personnel and residents in long-term care facilities be prioritized to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available.

At a New Jersey hospital, a cluster of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections peaked during a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, suggesting that hospitals with COVID-19 surges are vulnerable to drug-resistant infections.

At this year’s virtual Primary Care Collaborative Annual Conference, patients discussed their health care experiences and what efforts are needed to improve primary care in the United States.