Background: Among hospitalized US Veterans, the rate of non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) decreased between 2015 and 2020 then increased following the onset of 2019-nCoV (COVID-19).
Methods: Veterans admitted to inpatient acute care for ≥48 hours at 135 Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers between 2015 and 2021 were identified (n = 1,567,275). Non-linear trends in NV-HAP incidence were estimated using generalized additive modeling, adjusted for seasonality and patient risk factors.
Results: The incidence rate (IR) of NV-HAP decreased linearly by 32% (95% CI: 63-74) from 10/1/2015 to 2/1/2020, translating to 337 fewer NV-HAP cases. Following the US onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020, the NV-HAP IR increased by 25% (95% CI: 14-36) among Veterans without COVID-19 and 108% (95% CI: 178-245) among Veterans with COVID-19, resulting in an additional 50 NV-HAP cases and $5,042,900 in direct patient care costs 12-months post admission.
Discussion: This increase in NV-HAP rates could be driven by elevated risk among Veterans with COVID-19, decreased prevention measures during extreme COVID-19 related system stress, and increased patient acuity among hospitalized Veterans during the first year of the pandemic.
Conclusions: Basic nursing preventive measures that are resilient to system stress are needed as well as population surveillance to rapidly identify changes in NV-HAP risk.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9807267 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2022.12.012 | DOI Listing |
BMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Background: Because cirrhosis is often unrecognized, we aimed to develop a stepwise screening algorithm for cirrhosis in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and assess this approach's feasibility and acceptability.
Methods: VHA hepatology clinicians ("champions") were invited to participate in a pilot program from June 2020 to October 2022. The VHA Corporate Data Warehouse was queried to identify Veterans with possible undiagnosed cirrhosis using Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) ≥ 3.
J Am Podiatr Med Assoc
January 2025
§Northwell Heath, New York, NY.
This objective of this communication is to provide an update from the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) and the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) with respect to the profession's residency interview process, otherwise known as the Centralized Residency Interview Process (CRIP). During the 2022-2023 academic year, CRIP returned to an in-person format following a period of virtual interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey data since this change indicate that a large majority of residency program directors and student applicants prefer an in-person format to the residency interview process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dent Sci
January 2025
Department of Stomatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Background/purpose: COVID-19 vaccines are supplied at no-cost to residents as a measure to prevent comorbidities, fatalities, and the increased risk of community transmission, thus protecting public health systems. However, vaccine acceptance among cancer patients remained uncertain. This study aimed to elucidate the vaccination rates among oral cancer patients at a medical center in Taiwan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Intern Med
January 2025
Research and Development, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington.
Importance: SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contribute to many hospitalizations and deaths each year. Understanding relative disease severity can help to inform vaccination guidance.
Objective: To compare disease severity of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV among US veterans.
Background: The development and approval of novel drugs are typically time-intensive and expensive. Leveraging a computational drug repurposing framework that integrates disease-relevant genetically regulated gene expression (GReX) and large longitudinal electronic medical record (EMR) databases can expedite the repositioning of existing medications. However, validating computational predictions of the drug repurposing framework remains a challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!