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COVID-19 is the mother-in-law of invention

Josh Middlebrooks Business Management, Services & Risk Management

For business owners, keeping customers and employees safe has always been a priority. If you are lucky enough to live in a place that does not have a lockdown order, you could go to a local business, and in some dusty corner near an old water fountain, you will see an OSHA poster hanging on the wall letting everyone know that this business cares about safety. For decades, it was business as usual. Then there was COVID-19 and the panic that ensued. Suddenly businesses were scrambling to figure out how to remain open, how to keep their people safe, and maybe even how to stay profitable.

Infographic: What new tech means for nursing homes of the future

Brian Wallace Medical & Allied Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for quality nursing home care. While 25% of COVID-19 deaths come from nursing homes, the quality of the nursing home affects results: 4- to 5-star nursing homes had 94% lower risk than their 1-star peers. When the pandemic is over, those disparities will remain. As the population of America ages, nursing homes will house more people than ever in the coming years.

Pandemic vaccines, patents and Uncle Sam

Seth Sandronsky Medical & Allied Healthcare

As the coronavirus pandemic tears through rural and urban America, healthcare workers and others at risk of catching the disease are receiving life-saving vaccines now. Meanwhile, in a new development, opposing views of vaccine policy are front and center in the U.S.' paper of record. First, we turn to the pharmaceutical industry, a powerhouse interest. Thomas Cueni is the director-general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

Design for mental wellness

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Decades of case studies and research studies have demonstrated ways that interior design can improve mental healthcare environments. Design interventions such as altering space layouts, improving lighting and daylighting, modifying colors, and introducing natural elements have been found to reduce anxiety and aggression in some mental health patients, leading to more constructive therapies, less violence and less need for medications to control behavior, among other benefits. A natural next step is to employ similar interventions to support and improve mental wellness in order to prevent the onset of mental distress or illness.

3 simple New Year’s resolutions for church staff

Deborah Ike Religious Community

We're near the finish line of 2020, with everyone ready to bid this chaotic year adieu. As we try to shake off a rough year, it's time to look ahead and consider how to start 2021. While COVID-19 isn't fully behind us, we can still take a few actions to make this new year better than the last.

The meaning of the healthcare podcast revolution

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

When podcasts began appearing around 2004, capitalizing on the presence of MP3 players like the iPod, little did we know that they would eventually become a driving force in the wider culture, let alone in healthcare, nursing, medicine, and related fields. Podcasts have emerged as a leading technology for disseminating opinion, entertainment, and information. Through the expanding podcast sphere, laypeople and professionals are leveraging the power of digital audio to create content covering most every aspect of human endeavor.

Study: Differences in height across nations explained by poor nutrition…

Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied Healthcare

A massive, long-term study published in The Lancet by Imperial College London reveals concerning truths about the impact of diet on height, weight, and health. The study followed 65 million children between ages five and 19 in 193 countries from 1985 to 2019. Here’s what we learned.

Hindsight is 2020: Putting the year in perspective

Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Admit it. If two years ago someone had walked into your office with a movie script containing half of the things that happened in 2020, you would have laughed them out of there. Or perhaps suggested they needed psychological help. None of us saw this coming. Yes, the infectious disease experts warned we should be on the lookout for a viral pandemic, but they couldn’t tell us how or when this would arrive or the impact it would have on our society. Now that we’re getting close to the end of this tumultuous year, what learning can we take forward for the future?

Survey: Older patients less likely to have elective procedures as COVID-19…

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Older patients continue their aversion to elective procedures during the continued onslaught of COVID-19, according to a survey by analysts at investment firm Needham & Company. The study, conducted in November, featured responses from several hundred people with an average age of 61. Only about a quarter (27%) of them are still willing to choose elective procedures. As economies shutter again — notably California and New York — these numbers are likely to continue until the pandemic is under control or effective vaccines reach critical mass.

Study: Normal lung function remains intact during exercise despite mask…

Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied Healthcare

There's no question that masks are uncomfortable, and they're more uncomfortable when you exercise. But evidence confirms — the lungs are no worse for wear when healthy people wear a face mask and work out. A study published last month in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society found that "there is little empirical evidence that wearing a facemask significantly diminishes lung function, even when worn during heavy exercise."

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