During the COVID-19 pandemic, health misinformation has been soaring across the internet and social media platforms. Despite a lack of supplement regulation, vitamin and supplement use have seen a sudden 28% increase in the US and a 25% increase globally during COVID-19. Vitamin C supplements have gained particular attention because of studies finding it might reduce… Read More » Author information Ashlyn Lipnicky Ashlyn Lipnicky is a research associate for the Sexual Health Empowerment (SHE) team at the University of Kansas Medical Center. SHE focuses on improving health literacy in women leaving jails through tailored health curriculums. Ashlyn’s interests are diverse and she is passionate about empowering patients to make healthy decisions by developing health education materials and being involved in systems level changes. | LinkedIn | The post Pandemic Reminds Us to Pay Attention to Lack of Supplement Regulation in the U.S. appeared first on The Medical Care Blog.

National Rural Health Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the quality of medical care in rural and medically underserved communities. This year has posed additional challenges to fragile healthcare systems and vulnerable populations. Faced with new barriers, rural communities are adapting and innovating through telehealth. COVID-19 caught the entire country off balance, highlighting structural… Read More » Author information Tiffany Johnson Tiffany recently graduated with her Master's degree in Public Health from the University of South Dakota. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She is a member of the Medical Care and Epidemiology sections of the American Public Health Association. Some of her interests include healthcare optimization, health policy, and health equity. | LinkedIn | The post Rural Telehealth in the COVID Era and Beyond appeared first on The Medical Care Blog.

With a growing recognition of the toll that dementia takes on individuals, families, and communities, there is a movement to prepare our society to better meet the needs of people living with dementia. This movement is referred to as becoming “dementia friendly,” and it can reduce stigma, increase inclusiveness, and improve care. A family example… Read More » Author information Heather Menne Heather L. Menne is a senior health policy researcher at RTI International with Federal and non-profit experience and expertise in aging and disability programs and services. Her research career has focused on older people, people with disabilities, and long-term services and supports (LTSS), with a specific emphasis on people living with dementia, family caregivers, and paid caregivers. She also conducted evaluations of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs for older adults and family caregivers. Before joining RTI, she worked at the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and as a Senior Research Scientist at the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. | LinkedIn | The post Becoming dementia friendly: Less stigma, more inclusion, better care appeared first on The Medical Care Blog.

Our data says a lot about us – where we go, who we see, and what we do. And since our smartphones come with us everywhere, they are almost always collecting our data. To improve my understanding of how our data and devices can be used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, I sat down with (over… Read More » Author information Alexa Ortiz Health IT Scientist at RTI International Alexa Ortiz graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Before receiving her graduate degree she was a practicing nurse for five years and has clinical experience in the field of both Cardiology and Neurology. In 2014 she received a Master of Science in Nursing specializing in nursing informatics from Duke University. Presently, she works as a Health IT Scientist at RTI International in the Center for Digital Health and Clinical Informatics. Despite no longer working in a clinical setting, she continues to maintain an active nurse license in the state of North Carolina. Her primary areas of research at RTI International focus on the clinical implementation of health information technology and the evaluation of consumer wearable devices. | Twitter | The post Using Digital Technologies for COVID-19 Exposure Notification and Tracking appeared first on The Medical Care Blog.

John bowled in a Friday night league for 20 years. It was often the highlight of his week – a chance to spend time with friends, blow off some steam, and enjoy some friendly competition. Now 75 and living with dementia, John has tried more than once to walk to a bowling alley that no… Read More » Author information Stephanie Hughes Stephanie Hughes has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and is a public health researcher in the Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care Program at RTI International. She has nearly 20 years of experience in health care and social services, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia services, caregiver needs, home and community-based services, and women's health. Her recent work through the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center has focused on providing technical assistance to Alzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative grantees. | The post There is still much we don’t know about dementia and wandering appeared first on The Medical Care Blog.

Introduction by Joe Babaian. Blog by Britta Bloomquist, Pamela Ressler MS, RN, and Brian Stork, MD This is #Thanksgiving week here in the USA. It feels like an eternity since I typed “USA” and wasn’t feeling the pressure of loving my nation but being deathly afraid of my nation’s direction and leadership. #hcldr is not

November 16-22 is Digital Health Week in Canada. To help mark this special week, we are teaming up with Children’s Healthcare Canada for a special HCLDR tweetchat on Tuesday November 17th at 8:30pm ET (for your local time click here). The topic they have chosen is one that is near and dear to every parent’s

Welcome back to #hcldr. Last week, we took a break because it was Election Day in the US…which ultimately turned into Election Week. As I watched the 24/7 coverage, one question kept rolling through my mind: Where can I get one of those interactive TVs? But in all seriousness, the 2020 US Election was wholly

Blog by Joe Babaian “It doesn’t take an instant more, or cost a penny more, to be empathetic than it does to be indifferent.” – Brian Lee. Let’s talk and think about #empathy and its value – both in terms of its subjective value and its return on (emotional) investment. The quote I selected for the lede

There can be little doubt now that we are heading into a tough fall and winter. COVID-19 cases are once again on the rise across the globe. Many parts of Europe have already reimplemented lockdowns to reduce transmission and keep their healthcare systems from being overwhelmed. Here in Canada and the US, COVID positivity rates

The Framework for mental health and psychosocial support in radiological and nuclear emergencies, released today, brings together, for the first time, existing knowledge from the fields of mental health and protection from radiation in an integrated guide for preparedness for and response to nuclear and radiological emergencies.

Up to 5 million deaths a year could be averted if the global population was more active. At a time when many people are home bound due to COVID-19, new WHO Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, launched today, emphasize that everyone, of all ages and abilities, can be physically active and that every type of movement counts. The new guidelines recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity per week for all adults, including people living with chronic conditions or disability, and an average of 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents. WHO statistics show that one in four adults, and four out of five adolescents, do not get enough physical activity.  Globally this is estimated to cost US$54 billion in direct health care and another US$14 billion to lost productivity. The guidelines encourage women to maintain regular physical activity throughout pregnancy and post-delivery. They also highlight the valuable health benefits of physical activity for people living with disabilities. Older adults (aged 65 years or older) are advised to add activities which emphasize balance and coordination, as well as muscle strengthening, to help prevent falls and improve health. Regular physical activity is key to preventing and helping to manage heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, reducing cognitive decline, improving memory and boosting brain health. “Being physically active is critical for health and well-being – it can help to add years to life and life to years,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Every move counts, especially now as we manage the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. We must all move every day – safely and creatively.”  All physical activity is beneficial and can be done as part of work, sport and leisure or transport (walking, wheeling and cycling), but also through dance, play and everyday household tasks, like gardening and cleaning. “Physical activity of any type, and any duration can improve health and wellbeing, but more is always better,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion, World Health Organization, “and if you must spend a lot of time sitting still, whether at work or school, you should do more physical activity to counter the harmful effects of sedentary behaviour.” “These new guidelines highlight how important being active is for our hearts, bodies and minds, and how the favourable outcomes benefit everyone, of all ages and abilities”, said Dr Fiona Bull, Head of the Physical Activity Unit which led the development of the new WHO guidelines. WHO encourages countries to adopt the global guidelines to develop national health policies in support of the WHO Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030. The plan was agreed by global health leaders at the 71st World Health Assembly in 2018 to reduce physical inactivity by 15% by 2030.

 This is an update of the August 2019 information brief on WHO’s revision of the two following guidelines: Ensuring balance in national policies on controlled substances: Guidance for availability and accessibility of controlled medicines (2011)WHO guidelines on the pharmacological treatment of persisting pain in children with medical illnesses (2012)   WHO guideline on ensuring balanced national policies for access and safe use of controlled medicinesGuideline on the management of chronic pain in childrenGuideline Stage Lead WHO technical unit Access to Medicines and Health [email protected]  Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing  Planning WHO GRC planning approval received March 2020 January 2020  Scope The proposed scope for this guideline has been developed and is available here.  The proposed scope for this guideline was developed following the public hearing in which stakeholders expressed their views.  The proposed scope for this guideline has been developed and is available at the following link:WHO Guideline for the management of chronic pain in children     Public hearing A public hearing regarding the scope of the guideline took place on 19 February 2020. The written statements submitted on the guideline have been consolidated and can be found here. A public hearing in relation to the scope of the guideline for the management of chronic pain in children was held on 16th January 2020. Views were expressed on the proposed scope by 49 different stakeholders across the different WHO regions. These included academic groups, NGOs, practitioners and patient representatives.  Appointment of GDG The list of Guideline Development Group members has been confirmed and is available here.  Public comments on the proposed list were accepted until 9th February 2020. The list of Guideline Development Group members for the guideline for the management of chronic pain in children is available here. Public comments on the proposed list were accepted until 14 January 2020.   Planning- initial GDG meeting The first GDG meeting was held in June 2020 to finalise the scope of the guideline.  A second GDG meeting is scheduled for 15th December 2020 to prioritise outcomes. The first GDG meeting was held on 24th January 2020 to finalise the scope of the guideline and prioritise outcomes.   The guideline will answer the following key question: among children with chronic pain (population), would giving pharmacologic, physical, psychological or a combination of these (intervention), compared to standard care or active comparators (comparator), result in change of pain experience, functional disability, health-related quality of life and other critical outcomes (outcomes)?   Synthesis of evidence WHO Procurement issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from specialist technical experts. A systematic review team has been selected. WHO Procurement issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from specialist technical experts. A systematic review team was selected. Systematic and comprehensive evidence retrieval and synthesis on the effectiveness, safety and sociocultural acceptability of the possible interventions is being done by the Cochrane Pain, Palliative and Supportive Care (PaPas) group, Cochrane Qualitative Implementation methods Group (QIMG) and the Cochrane Response team. Development Development- GDG meeting A GDG meeting is planned for May 2021 to review the outcomes of the systematic review and evidence synthesis A second meeting of the GDG took place on 14-18 September 2020 wherein they formulated recommendations based on the evidence and other explicit considerations. Editing / peer review External Review Group An External Review Group (ERG) has been appointed for consultation and peer review An External Review Group (ERG) has been appointed for consultation and peer review. Finalisation Expected publication date The final guideline will be submitted to the WHO Guideline Review Committee for final approval.  The guideline is expected to be published Mid 2021 The final guideline was submitted to the WHO Guideline Review Committee on 15 October 2020 and have been approved.  The guideline is expected to be published in December 2020  Interim guidance: Whilst the documents are being updated, countries in need of guidance on pain management can:use the list of resources (https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/pain-guidelines-list-of-resources.pdf) for advice concerning access to appropriate medicines for pain and palliative care, and/orcontact WHO to request technical support at [email protected] information briefs:January Update here.27 August 2019: WHO revision of pain management guidelines20 June 2019: Web statement on pain management guidance(https://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/guide_on_pain/en/) Document updated on 21 January 2020 with further details on the Policy guideline.

Paris, the City of Lights, celebrated the world’s historic commitment to eliminate cervical cancer by illuminating in teal on November 17th

The early childhood period is considered to be the most important developmental phase throughout the lifespan. What happens to the child in the first few years of life is critical for the child’s developmental trajectory and lifecourse influencing their mental and physical health, education and future economic participation. In order to track global progress on early childhood development (ECD), WHO, UNICEF and partners today launched new expanded 2020 ECD Countdown to 2030 country profiles. The updated profiles cover 42 ECD indicators and 197 countries, including 60 high-income countries, encompassing 99.8% of the world’s children younger than 5 years. The 2020 profiles reveal substantial threats to the world’s youngest inhabitants:Fewer than half of infants younger than 6 months are exclusively breastfed in most countries with dataAt least 25% of children younger than 5 years are stunted in about a third of the countriesFewer than half of young children in a third of the countries receive the benefits of early stimulation and responsive care by adults in their homeMore than three-quarters of children aged 1–4 years experience violent discipline by their caregivers in almost half of the countries.The Countdown to 2030 country profiles on ECD are an important step in establishing a global monitoring and accountability system for early childhood development, and prompting further advocacy and action to advance ECD. However, data in a number of critical areas still remains a challenge. Among countries with available data on ECD indicators fewer than half have data on crucial indicators such as child poverty, or whether young children receive a minimally acceptable diet or attend early education. Rights-based advocacy has helped to raise the availability of data on duration of paid maternity leave and birth registration to above 90% in countries included in the country profiles, but few have data on important indicators, such as early education or home stimulation. Under the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, many families have become the sole providers of the nurturing care required for young children’s development. While much is unknown about the pandemic’s impact on children’s development, ECD data collected before the start of pandemic will provide countries with useful baselines to assess the potential effects of health and societal disruptions on young children and their families in the years to come.Today, urgent action and investment in ECD by governments and national and international organizations are needed, as well as a global definition on responsive caregiving that can be standardized and compared across cultures and contexts.WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and multidisciplinary experts are moving forward with defining measures of responsive caregiving, and working to strengthen questions on children’s health, learning, nutrition, and family environment in standardized household surveys.