Articles: pandemics.
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The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated access barriers for patients with opioid use disorder. Telehealth presents an opportunity to improve access, treatment quality, and patient outcomes. ⋯ Our findings suggest that telehealth-initiated buprenorphine treatment is associated with reduced opioid overdose rate and improved patient engagement. Our findings strengthen the case for extending telehealth exemptions and prescribing flexibilities for treatment.
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Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk monitoring in primary care may inform new approaches for addressing modifiable CVD risks. This study examined how pandemic-driven changes in primary care delivery affected CVD risk management processes. ⋯ After pandemic onset, appointment completion rates were higher, time to appointment was shorter, HbA1c documentation increased, and BP documentation decreased. Future research should explore the advantages of using VC for CVD risk management while continuing to monitor for unintended consequences.
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Internal medicine journal · Jan 2024
Thrombo-inflammatory response in hospitalized patients with COVID-19; a single institution experience.
Severe COVID-19 causes acute inflammation, which is complicated by venous thromboembolism events (VTE). However, it is unclear if VTE risk has evolved over time since the COVID-19 outbreak. ⋯ We observed lower rates of VTE compared to the internationally reported rate for the same period. We conclude that in the setting of controlled hospital admission rate and standard anticoagulation guidelines, COVID-19 resulted in similar thrombo-inflammatory response and VTE rates over the first 1.5 years of the pandemic.
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Limited research has assessed how virtual care (VC) affects cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management, especially in community clinic settings. This study assessed change in community clinic patients' CVD risk management during the COVID-19 pandemic and CVD risk factor control among patients who had primarily in-person or primarily VC visits. ⋯ Among community clinic patients with CVD risk, receiving a majority of care in person vs a majority of care via VC was not significantly associated with longitudinal trends in reversible CVD risk score or key CVD risk factors.
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Sleep disorders can develop as a result of exposure to stressors. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was an additional source of stress for paramedics, due to the fear of the unknown nature of the new pathogen. The main aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the development of sleep disorders among paramedics working during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ The main factors influencing the development of sleep disorders were female gender, use of sleep aids and not having a life partner. In contrast, older age and longer job tenure, being married, and having good relationships with family members had a protective effect.