Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Imbalances between hospital caseload and care resources that strained U.S. hospitals during the pandemic have persisted after the pandemic amid ongoing staff shortages. Understanding which hospital types were more resilient to pandemic overcrowding-related excess deaths may prioritize patient safety during future crises. ⋯ Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.
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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of addressing social needs in a crisis context. Some US jurisdictions integrated a social service component into case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) programs, including the New York City (NYC) Test & Trace (T2) Program; the Take Care initiative referred NYC residents who tested positive or were exposed to COVID-19 to services to support isolation and quarantine and meet basic needs. More research is needed to determine effective implementation strategies for integrating social needs provision into CI/CT programs. ⋯ Barriers identified included external management of the software system, challenges reaching and engaging the public, administrative complications due to shifting collaborations, and management of CBO partners' structure and hiring. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations to support effective planning and implementation of social needs service provision in a crisis context. Future research should focus on testing promising implementation strategies highlighted in this study and applying them to varied contexts and crisis situations.
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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in greater use of remote patient monitoring (RPM). However, the use of RPM has been modest compared to other forms of telehealth. ⋯ To encourage ongoing growth of RPM, it will be necessary to address implementation barriers through changes in payment policy, training and education in digital and health literacy, improvements in staff roles and workflows, and new strategies to ensure equitable access.