The demand for flexibility has fundamentally reshaped how healthcare organizations approach staffing. More and more facilities are turning to innovative solutions that allow them to adapt quickly to changing patient volumes, manage workforce burnout and maintain high-quality care, all while navigating ongoing staffing shortages.
Hurricane Helene's flood-related damage to a key medical supply production facility last week in North Carolina has serious potential to impact patient care nationally because it manufactures 60% of IV fluids used by healthcare institutions throughout the United States. According to the AHA, Baxter International's North Cove plant produces 1.5 million bags of IV solutions daily.
Women now make up more than half of medical students but only about 37% of practicing doctors. That is partly because the makeup of the medical workforce lags that of the student body. But it's also because persistent sexism drives higher attrition among women in medicine.
A new highly transmissible coronavirus subvariant is starting to spread in the United States. Experts say it could become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain just in time for winter, when COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations tend to peak. The variant is called XEC.
Asynchronous care, which is delivered via messaging, is the most lightweight and low-friction form of care. It provides patients convenient access to medical expertise, particularly those who otherwise rely on Google searches and online discussion forums. Asynchronous care is especially well-suited for chronic conditions that need regular management or those with mobility challenges, including older or frail patients. Messaging allows patients and families to communicate with doctors as effortlessly as texting a friend, without the friction of scheduling appointments, traveling to clinics, or logging into video. When messaging alone isn't enough, patients can be guided to the most appropriate care setting, ensuring scarce healthcare resources are used efficiently.
The researchers' finding suggests the possibility of designing pharmaceutical or genetic therapies to turn on new neuron production in old or injured brains.