Researchers now have data to confirm a tightening labor market for nurses, following months of anecdotal reports of hospitals and other healthcare facilities struggling to staff beds. Comparing two five-quarter periods, one prior to the pandemic (October 2018-December 2019) and the other during it (April 2020 to June 2021), revealed lower employment across the nursing field overall. Even the non-significant 1% decline among registered nurses (RNs) between the two periods represented a significant departure from the pre-pandemic trend, according to the study in Health Affairs. "We've seen the total supply of RNs has just grown year after year for a couple of decades, pretty steadily," said Auerbach. "With the onset of the pandemic, it looks like that growth really has stopped." Despite the lower employment during the pandemic, there were increases in salaries. Hourly earnings were relatively stable during the pre-pandemic period but rose 9.4% for LPNs and 5.7% for NAs during the pandemic period (both P<0.01), while RNs saw a non-significant increase of 2.0%.

(MedPage Today, January 12, 2022)

According to a presenter at the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, aromatherapy may reduce anxiety and pain in individuals who had oculoplastic surgery with monitored anesthetic sedation. In a non-masked, placebo-controlled prospective study, researchers randomly assigned 60 patients who underwent oculoplastic surgery with monitored anesthesia care sedation at Ruby Memorial Hospital in West Virginia between August 2018 and November 2020. Before procedure, a cotton pad was given to participants' gowns. 32 patients received a lavender-, bergamot-, or orange-infused pad, while the remaining 28 had a sham pad. Patients in the aromatherapy group showed lower anxiety and pain levels after surgery than those in the control group.

(Ophthalmology Breaking News, January 13, 2022)

A program of water exercises was more effective than infrared thermal therapy and transdermal electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for relieving chronic lower back pain in a randomized trial with a full year of follow-up, researchers reported. Just over half of the water exercise group achieved at least 2-point improvements in their worst pain -- considered the minimum for clinical significance -- compared with 21% of controls.

(MedPage Today, January 7, 2022)

Free, one-time registration required.

The Mediterranean diet has been named the best overall diet for the fifth year in a row by the editors of U.S. News & World Report. The Mediterranean diet is one of the most studied diets, and one of the few diets — most of which involve higher fat or lower carbohydrate intake — that demonstrates CVD benefits, according to a U.S. News & World Report press release. The Mediterranean diet also ranked first in the categories of best diets for healthy eating, easiest diets to follow, best diets for diabetes and best plant-based diets; it tied with best heart-healthy diets for the No. 1 spot.

(Healio Primary Care, January 4, 2022)

The number of people with dementia worldwide could increase 166%, from about 57.4 million people in 2019 to 152.8 million people in 2050, data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study showed. The new projections were based on the prevalence of dementia attributable to BMI, high fasting plasma glucose and smoking status from 2019 to 2050 in 195 countries. The data were obtained through a PubMed search that was conducted on Oct. 23, 2020, several months before the FDA approved Aduhelm (aducanumab, Biogen/Eisai), the first new treatment to be approved for Alzheimer’s disease since 2003.

(Healio Primary Care, January 7, 2022)

First-line Therapy, Diabetes Screening Updates Among Changes in ADA 2022 Standards of Care

The 2022 Standards of Care puts a more individualized focus on first-line therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes. The choice of a first-line therapy should depend on the patient’s comorbidities, with other factors, such as cost, access and management needs, also playing a role. The Standards of Care also recommends screening adults aged 18 years and older with overweight or obesity and other risk factors, with all adults screened for prediabetes and diabetes beginning at age 35 years. Several other updates include information about diabetes and pregnancy, technology and devices and COVID-19.

(Healio Endocrinology, January 6, 2022)

Last week the Biden Administration released a report calling for government agencies to be wary of negative political influence on science-based decision making. The report "brought first-hand knowledge of instances in which existing scientific integrity policies were not followed or enforced and the implications of those lapses in scientific integrity." The administration listened to more than 1,000 people through listening sessions and roundtables over 30 days who made it clear that the Biden administration needs to work to bolster science in the wake of the Trump administration.

(CNN, January 11, 2022)

For the first time in a year, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, held a CDC-only media briefing on recently to discuss quarantine guidance, the state of the pandemic for children, and the possibility of a second booster shot. She said that while she did over 80 briefings last year, "we heard…that there was interest in hearing from the CDC independently," and said that she anticipated this would be the first of many briefings. "I am committed to continue to improve as we learn more about the science," Walensky said. "The virus is …constantly throwing us curve-balls. As the virus changes, the science changes."

(MedPage Today, January 7, 2022)

Free, one-time registration required.

Some COVID-19 rapid antigen home test kits are much easier to use than others, according to an analysis by ECRI, an independent, nonprofit patient safety organization. ECRI evaluated seven rapid COVID-19 antigen tests available for purchase online and in retail stores since December. None of the tests were rated as "excellent" in terms of usability and some had "noteworthy" usability concerns, the company said. The top five included: On/Go (Intrivo), CareStart (Access Bio), Flowflex (ACON Labs), QuickVue (Quidel), and BinaxNOW (Abbott).

(Medscape Nurses, January 11, 2022)

Free, one-time registration required.

NEW Modern Curved