Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Policies On Sedation Are Hindering Abortion Access; Steps Biden Should Take To Rein In Bird Flu
In states where abortion is currently legal, OB-GYN clinics affiliated with hospitals and health systems are an important access point for individuals seeking abortion care. However, hospital policies limiting sedation in office-based settings push the procedure into the operating room, making abortion care more difficult to obtain and likely more expensive. Hospital administrators should reevaluate their sedation policies with these questions of access in mind. (Skye A. Miner, 1/6)
The first year of Joe Biden鈥檚 presidency was defined by his exemplary efforts to curb the covid-19 pandemic. His final year might be remembered as the one when bird flu emerged as the next major threat. (Leana S. Wen, 1/6)
In a recent study conducted by us and others at the Harvard-affiliated Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital, we sought to assess whether coaching inexperienced clinicians within an hour of a procedure could improve their performance and, most important, their patients鈥 outcomes. (Stephen G. Flynn, Raymond S. Park, Pete G. Kovatsis, and Anupam B. Jena, 1/6)
Some studies indicate that distributing pads, combined with menstrual health education, has increased school attendance. According to one study in Uganda, girls鈥 school attendance increased 17 percent. Other studies in Kenya, Uganda and India suggest that these interventions reduced girls鈥 dropout rates or improved learning. (Nicholas Kristof, 1/4)
As a physician trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics, I鈥檝e witnessed alcohol play a starring role in the lives 鈥 and deaths 鈥 of my patients. In the emergency room, it鈥檚 the invisible force behind trauma cases, the culprit in new diagnoses of liver cirrhosis, and the reason for the muted tears of those struggling to overcome addiction. On the wards, it鈥檚 the common denominator in countless social histories, chronic diseases, and repeat admissions. (Luis E. Seija, 1/3)
As of May, roughly 1 in 8 American adults had tried GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s for short). This percentage has almost certainly grown since then, as telehealth companies, 鈥渕edi-spas鈥 and compounding pharmacies have aggressively marketed GLP-1 prescriptions. (Catherine Rampell, 12/31)