New data from Madison, Wis.-based UW Health Kids shows the number of cases of Type 2 diabetes in pediatric patients increasing from 5.8 percent in 2018 to 16.4 percent in 2021, a trend that may be linked to COVID-19, Wisconsin Public Radio reported April 12.

The U.S. lags behind other high-income countries when it comes to serving women ages 18 to 49 — whether for maternal care, primary care or mental healthcare, according to an analysis released April 5 by the Commonwealth Fund.  

Once a month at Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, some COVID-19 patients who have lost their sense of smell have their plasma extracted and inserted high up in their nose using a sponge, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported April 4.

Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used as an alternative treatment for COVID-19, did not reduce hospital admissions, a study published March 30 in The New England Journal of Medicine found. 

RaDonda Vaught's conviction for a fatal medical error has already damaged patient safety and should serve as a wake-up call for health system leaders to improve harm prevention efforts, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement said March 30.

As physicians continue to refine pain management protocols to best support patients and improve postoperative outcomes, enhanced recovery after surgery programs have become more prevalent.

The International Consensus Meeting for orthopedic infections is a rigorous effort that unites global experts to debate and vote on statements that will form the basis for new or enhanced clinical guidelines.

Co-infection with respiratory viruses such as the flu and COVID-19 is associated with more severe illness than COVID-19 alone, according to a March 25 study published in The Lancet.

New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System plans to launch the nation's first multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to reducing stillbirths later this month. 

Researchers are continuously learning more about COVID-19 and how it affects certain individuals even after infection.

CMS has extended a March 13 deadline for Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs to correct deficiencies connected to patient deaths, the Independent Record reported March 14.  

Healthgrades has identified 448 hospitals as the recipients of its 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award, the organization said March 15.

A Texas district judge on March 11 temporarily blocked a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott that called on state officials to investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse, NPR reported. 

The future of daylight saving time hangs in the balance as lawmakers consider potential negative health effects associated with the time shift, while a past study indicates increased patient safety incidents related to the time shift.

Compared to pre-pandemic, mortality rates after hospitalization for non-COVID-19 illnesses were substantially higher among more than 8 million Medicare recipients in 2020-21, according to a study published March 9 by JAMA Network Open.

Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital — the nation's largest pediatric hospital —  has halted prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state officials to investigate such care as child abuse, The Houston Chronicle reported March 6. 

One recent study has found some symptoms of long COVID-19 may be related to nerve damage, and another identified the proportion of patients who require new healthcare services upon discharge from being hospitalized for COVID-19. 

Most (89.1 percent) adult COVID-19 patients who were eligible for but didn't receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation owing to a lack of resources during the peak of the pandemic died in the hospital, even though they were young and had few underlying health issues, according to findings published Feb. 24 by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Healthcare workers are burned out and exhausted from juggling pandemic-related stressors and additional burdens linked to workforce shortages for more than two years. These issues pose serious consequences for employees and patients, as numerous studies link clinician burnout and stress to an increased likelihood of medical errors. 

Amid the pandemic, officials have struggled to piece together an accurate picture of patient safety and care quality in the U.S., with healthcare systems overwhelmed and data backlogs prevalent.