the last decade and will continue climbing. In addition to the mortality caused by illicit
opioid misuse, morbidity rates have also risen. People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)
demonstrate higher rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C Virus
(HCV), Endocarditis, Persistent Abscesses, Staphylococcus Aureus (S. aureus, Staph)
and other skin infections. This thesis serves as (1) a systematic review of the differences
in health conditions experienced by PWID and (2) an examination of the trends in skin
and soft tissue infection from a small sample in Phoenix, Arizona. The author argues that
PWID suffer from an increased rate of comorbid conditions associated with substance
use. Targeted social work interventions could be useful in reducing the rates of disease
and their impact on the individual and community.
With the recent rise in opioid overdose and death1<br/><br/>, chronic opioid therapy (COT) programs using<br/>Center of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines have been implemented across the United States8<br/>.<br/>Primary care clinicians at Mayo Clinic initiated a COT program in September of 2017, during the<br/>use of Cerner Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Study metrics included provider<br/>satisfaction and perceptions regarding opioid prescription. Mayo Clinic transitioned its EHR<br/>system from Cerner to Epic in October 2018. This study aims to understand if provider perceptions<br/>about COT changed after the EHR transition and the reasons underlying those perceptions.
“Health and Wealthness” is a podcast where your hosts, Emily Weigel and Hanaa Khan, discuss pressing and trending topics about health and wealth that everyone should know about. Our thesis focuses primarily on the opioid epidemic - the science and business sides.
Health and Wealthness is a podcast where your hosts, Emily Weigel and Hanaa Khan discuss pressing and trending topics about health and wealth that everyone should know about. Our first four episodes focus on the opioid crisis. Both the science and healthcare sides. We then go on to talk about burnout and mental health in a conversational episode.
As the opioid epidemic continues to rise, so does the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, is a withdrawal condition that occurs when a fetus has been exposed to addictive drugs prior to birth, most commonly opioids. Newborns with NAS can experience a variety of symptoms at and after birth, including trembling, sleep problems, seizures, and vomiting. Women who use opioids during pregnancy have a much higher risk of their newborn developing NAS. If a woman is suspected of using drugs during her pregnancy, the newborn will likely be tested toxicologically for NAS or other exposure to drugs. There is debate about the procedures that are used to determine who is tested and who is not. Institutions are currently being left to make their own decisions about how newborn toxicology tests will be performed and who receives such tests. Unless a mother self-reports her use, a test may not be performed unless certain factors are observed. This leaves room for variation and inconsistency across the board. Guidelines have been created in some institutions regarding several indicators of drugs abuse during pregnancy. However, this is not consistent between institutions across the nation and allows for the possibility of misdiagnosis or the lack of one altogether. Standards should be implemented regarding these toxicology tests for newborns to ensure all cases of infants with NAS are identified and able to be treated. This paper will examine neonatal abstinence syndrome, how toxicology testing is performed in newborns, why standards should be implemented, and provide a comparison between an upcoming and a current method of testing in newborns for NAS.