Health Sciences

Nursing home hallway with an empty wheelchair parked outside an open door.

Nursing home staffing during the pandemic

While the pandemic hit nursing homes especially hard, one area it did not suffer is in staffing. A new study finds that staffing levels in nursing homes did not decrease during the pandemic.

From Penn LDI ・

Person from Penn Medicine standing at one of the Listening Lab stations holding a headphone to their ear.

Listening Lab: Harnessing the power of storytelling

The Listening Lab, an online storytelling initiative that embraces the simple act of listening and sharing, and advocates for the power of listening as a form of care, highlights experiences and reflections on aspects of health care that aren’t always discussed.

From Penn Medicine News ・



In the News


WHYY (Philadelphia)

Penn researching ways to avoid side effects of key treatment for serious COVID cases

To improve outcomes for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, researchers led by Mitchell Lazar of the Perelman School of Medicine are exploring which populations are most prone to side effects when treated with glucocorticoids, a type of steroid.

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Forbes

The most common causes of memory loss

Jason Karlawish of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about memory loss, the condition’s symptoms, and seeking diagnosis. “Start with a doctor who knows you well, so a primary care physician,” he said. “Ideally, people go in with someone who knows them well—a spouse, child or close friend—who can speak to what they’ve been seeing.”

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“All Things Considered,” National Public Radio

COVID symptoms may linger in some vaccinated people who get infected, study finds

Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said that initially, COVID-19 “was billed falsely as a winter respiratory virus that, like influenza, could cause severe and occasionally fatal pneumonia. But this virus is much more than that.”

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Today

Olympians face 'overwhelming' mental pressure—especially this year

Jeremy Tyler of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the pressure faced by Olympic athletes. “Imagine going into the most important moment of your present lifetime, the world watching, having the knowledge that everyone expects you to live up to your reputation of being the best … and you’ve got go into it completely alone, without any social or emotional support,” he said. “I can’t think of a higher pressure or more daunting task to go through.”

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The Hill

Masks and vaccines: What would you do to save a child?

Susan Coffin and Sage Myers of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia wrote an opinion piece about unvaccinated children’s vulnerability to the COVID-19 delta variant. They called for adults to continue wearing masks in risky environments, saying, “allowing even one child to become severely ill is too many if it can be prevented with simple measures.”

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