Health Care Delivery

Julia Balmaceda, a medical student at the University of Kansas, discusses the findings of a research project looking at whether racial bias in pulse oximetry was present in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Patients with Parkinson disease who adhered to Mediterranean (MEDI) and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets were associated with fewer patient-reported symptoms over time, in which the MIND diet showed greater reductions in symptom severity compared with MEDI.

Use of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment (without interferon) was shown to reduce liver and nonliver complications, as well as improve long-term overall survival among patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Jason Ezra Hawkes, MD, MS, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of Dermatology at the University of California Davis in Sacramento, spoke on the advancement in precision medicine within dermatology and what role genetics, research, and immunology can have for care management going forward.

Patients exposed to childhood maltreatment were at greater risk for developing atopic disease compared with unexposed counterparts, and risk of atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis may have been attentuated by misdiagnosis.

The utility of annual MRI plus mammogram was investigated in a new meta-analysis delivered at this year’s San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, with the goal of optimizing use of MRI by considering potential for overdiagnosis and tailoring to age and risk group.

Patients with pemphigus reported lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, among other cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes, when treated with rituximab compared with the first-line corticosteroid-sparing agents azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil.

The novel coalition was announced at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Forum, which took place December 4-7 in Orlando, Florida.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in the United States and have significant health and economic impacts, but pharmacists can help combat the spread as they work with affected patients.

A session at the 2022 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition reviewed some trends in the 340B drug pricing programs and Medicaid.

Once patients with HIV start treatment, pharmacists can play a key role in addressing patient accessibility and affordability of HIV treatments and promoting adherence, said Dena Behm Dillon, PharmD, AAHIVP, HIV clinical pharmacy specialist, University of Iowa Health Care.

A partnership between a university and the local Black community in San Bernadino County, California, illustrated how pharmacists can actively work to improve vaccine uptake in their communities.

Can a patient with metastatic cancer on immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy use acetaminophen for pain? What about medical marijuana? And does the gut microbiome play a role? With more than a decade of real-world experience with ICIs, pharmacists learned about the potential role of these and other factors during a session at the 2022 American Society of Health-System Pharmacy Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition.

A cross-sectional study showed that patients experiencing homelessness were at more than 2-fold greater age-adjusted mortality risk due to COVID-19 compared with the general population, with these increased risks observed across race/ethnicity and sex status.

Patients with diabetes who reported use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or metformin prior to COVID-19 infection were associated with lower COVID-19–related adverse outcomes during hospitalization.

A review of available literature, although limited, has pointed to a link between pediatric psoriasis and anxiety and depression. Previous research has made a clear association between psoriasis and mood disorders in adults.

A clinical pharmacy specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) described how the department is trying to address the needs of female veterans, including their reproductive health, as well as addressing disparities in chronic diseases.

The increasing complexity and costs of oncology care and resulting patient financial toxicity is driving more health systems to adopt oncology stewardship principles in their pharmacy practices, according to a session at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 2022 Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exposition.

From comparing outcomes, it is known that cemiplimab has the potential to improve responses among patients who have cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), although many important questions remain, explained Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, head and neck surgeon and director of clinical research in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The monthly volume of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses administered have returned to the level observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic among children in an integrated health care system in California, but HPV vaccine coverage remains lower compared with prepandemic levels.

Liz Lightstone, MBBS, PhD, FRCP, professor of renal medicine for the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, discussed the influence of genetics and background on the care management of lupus nephritis.

Female allopathic medical students pursuing careers in dermatology were less likely than those pursuing other specialties to be from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine or be a sexual minority, with a lack of interest in underserved care and public health shown overall.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last 2 years have been virtual; the organization previously met in Las Vegas in 2019 and 2016.

Melissa O'Connor, PhD, MBA, RN, FGSA, FAAN, endowed professor in Community and Home Health Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick School of Nursing, Villanova University, and director, Gerontology Interest Group, noted that a comprehensive assessment of each patient is necessary to develop individualized care plans that can achieve better outcomes and keep older adults in the home setting.

Teenage brains prematurely aged by 3 years during pandemic lockdowns; Washington state health officials report high flu activity and 7 deaths; medical groups ask a Texas judge to refrain from issuing a nationwide injunction against the preventive health screenings covered by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).