Journal of general internal medicine
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Limiting the incidence of opioid-naïve patients who transition to long-term opioid use (i.e., continual use for > 90 days) is a key strategy for reducing opioid-related harms. ⋯ Data routinely collected by prescription drug monitoring programs can be used to identify patients who are likely to develop long-term use. Guidelines for new opioid prescriptions based on pill counts may be simpler and more clinically useful than guidelines based on days' supply or milligram morphine equivalents.
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Neighborhood-level characteristics, such as poverty, have been associated with risk factors for heart failure (HF), including hypertension and diabetes mellitus. However, the independent association between neighborhood poverty and incident HF remains understudied. ⋯ In a large healthcare network, incident HF was associated with neighborhood poverty independent of demographic and clinical risk factors. Neighborhood-level interventions may be needed to complement individual-level strategies to prevent and curb the growing burden of HF.
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Depression is associated with a higher risk for experiencing barriers to care, unmet social needs, and poorer economic and mental health outcomes. ⋯ A self-reported history of depression was associated with greater inability to access care, more unmet social needs, and poorer economic and mental health outcomes, suggesting greater risk for adverse health outcomes during COVID-19.
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Observational Study
Six-Month Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized with Severe COVID-19.
Previous work has demonstrated that patients experience functional decline at 1-3 months post-discharge after COVID-19 hospitalization. ⋯ Even 6 months after hospital discharge, the majority of patients report that their health has not returned to normal. Support and treatments to return these patients back to their pre-COVID baseline are urgently needed.