Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine & public policy.
Rural hospitals have long struggled to maintain staffing levels of nurses and other professionals that are adequate for good care. The pandemic has made it much worse, as staffers have quit and patient loads have increased. Experts discuss the roots of the staff shortage, the effects on care safety, the extreme cost of efforts to attract and retain staff, and the threat to hospital survival posed by the problem.
Many people are unfamiliar with arterial blockages away from the heart. Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, affects African Americans much more than other populations for unknown reasons. An expert physician discusses PAD, the possible consequences, warning signs, and a clinical trial of treatments.
Major surgery such as a heart bypass may increase the risk of dementia. Then, a study finds that gun violence is up by 30% since the start of the pandemic. Also, could the anxiety of being heard by someone else play a role in stuttering? And finally, research says about half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended.
