Ashley Blachford, Author at Journal of Urgent Care Medicine

Active People Had Lower Odds of COVID-19 Infection

A study in JAMA Network Open found people who engaged in higher levels of physical activity before the pandemic experienced lower odds of developing COVID-19 and related hospitalizations from May 2020 through May 2022. In studying patients 45 years or older with 5,890 cases of COVID-19 and 626 hospitalizations, researchers found those who achieved at least 7.5 hours per week of physical activity pre pandemic had significantly reduced odds of COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization compared …

City Water the Source of a Legionnaires’ Outbreak

A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Grand Rapids, Minnesota—a city with a population of 11,000—has been linked to the area’s municipal water system, according to officials. Water samples from 2 buildings in Grand Rapids tested positive for Legionella and matched the bacteria from patient respiratory samples. The public utilities water supply is not chlorinated, and officials say installing a chlorination system to treat the water “is being looked into.” Of the 14 cases associated with the outbreak, all have …

CDC Offers Detailed Recommendations on Syphilis Lab Testing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released what the agency says are the first comprehensive recommendations on laboratory testing for syphilis. The extensive guidance covers laboratory-based tests, point-of-care tests (POC), processing of samples, and reporting of test results. In general, for symptomatic patients, nontreponemal tests are recommended for laboratory screening. Treponemal tests are used to validate nontreponemal results and to diagnose early syphilis infections not detectable by nontreponemal tests. Additionally, CDC notes that treponemal …

Amazon Discovers That Healthcare Is Complicated

From its acquisition of One Medical primary care to its online pharmacy, Amazon has a history of trying to disrupt the status quo. However, the news is out that Amazon has now laid off “a few hundred” of its staff within these healthcare lines of business and is closing at least 3 One Medical corporate offices. Richard Zane, MD, chief innovation officer of UCHealth in Colorado, which offers urgent care services, recently told Becker’s Hospital …

For All Its Popularity, Pickleball Poses Risk of Injury

What’s great about pickleball is that it’s an active sport designed for players of all ages and abilities. Not surprisingly, the explosion of pickleball in neighborhoods across the country has also corresponded with a rise in pickleball injuries. A study presented at the 2024 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting demonstrated a 90-fold increase in pickleball-related fractures over 2 decades with a noteworthy surge starting in 2020 as pickleball began to rise in …

CPAP Machines Linked to More Than 500 Deaths

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement saying at least 561 deaths reported between April 2021 and September 2023 may be linked to Philips sleep apnea devices, typically referred to as “CPAP” (continuous positive airway pressure) machines. About 5 million of the devices were first recalled in 2021. The CPAP machines contain materials that have been found to deteriorate and cause serious health concerns. At issue is the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) foam components …

Nearly Half of Nurses Say There’s More Violence in the Workplace Now

Across the healthcare industry, workers are experiencing a surge in violence, much of it first instigated by the widespread fear and frustration everyone felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a new survey from National Nurses United (NNU), a majority of nurses have encountered workplace violence with 45.5% reporting rates have actually increased in the past year. Among respondents, 81.6% experienced at least one type of workplace violence in 2023. The most common forms of …

Schools Ease Student Return Protocol, Perhaps Too Much

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers recommendations for parents with sick kids, saying they should stay home for fever, vomiting, or diarrhea in the past 24 hours or when kids aren’t well enough to participate at school. But many school districts have their own sets of rules for when a child can or cannot come to class. According to AP News, 25% of California students missed 10% of class days last school year, and the …

Measles Cases Reported in 8 States And Counting

Cases of measles have been cropping up in Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington with additional cases reported in the past week in Ohio and Maryland. In the Maryland case, the department of health warned the public about possible exposure at Dulles International Airport. Officials in Philadelphia at the end of January confirmed at least 9 known cases in that city alone. It’s concerning because measles was declared eliminated in 2000 by the Centers for …

Healthcare Groups Promote Obesity Bill of Rights

Advocacy organizations recently launched a campaign promoting an “Obesity Bill of Rights.” The declaration speaks to the rights of individuals with obesity to be treated respectfully and to receive patient-centered, high-quality healthcare. For example, the advocacy groups call for the right to accessible obesity treatment that allows for privacy and uses equipment that fits patients’ bodies. That could translate to blood pressure cuffs of an appropriate size, larger gowns and drapes, or even larger chairs …