Major Healthcare Changes Ahead 👩🏽‍💻 🎓 🏥

As shelter-in-place restrictions are slowly lifted, various changes must be carried out within the current healthcare system. Three major changes we're likely to see? First, telemedicine will grow in prominence (if it hasn't already become the new norm). Having patients come in and out all day will no longer seem appropriate, as both facilities and patients adopt new telemedicine habits. Second, medical education will become much more accessible. More educators will rely on virtual learning to bring up the future classes of doctors and nurses, allowing more geographical and even economic flexibilities. And third, healthcare facilities may expand. During the outset of COVID-19, we ran out of beds quickly, and this is something we'll likely take strides to preventing in the future. Read more

Twitter's new label for misleading COVID-19 tweets —

Twitter has taken a leaf out of Facebook's playbook and is now labeling tweets with potential misinformation regarding COVID-19. It has three stages: misleading, disputed, and unverified. Based on how severe the tweet is, the company will either apply a label or a warning to the tweet in question. In some severe cases, Twitter will remove the tweet altogether. Fortunately, this does not apply to unverified Joe Exotic theories. Read more

May the odds be ever in your favor —

As we see increasing numbers of COVID-19 infections across the country, companies are racing to provide quick, accurate testing measures. A new antigen point-of-care test is now being used to screen patients and can give a result in under 30 minutes without the need to send the sample to a lab. The test is simple and much more cost effective, but... buyer beware... could miss as many as 4 in 10 cases of infection, leading to more false negatives. However, its developers argue that as part of triage for suspected cases, the test could help conserve scarce resources for more sensitive laboratory testing. Read more

A nutritionist's guide to combatting anxiety in isolation —

Ali Miller, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, gives us three practical recommendations on what, how, and when to eat certain foods to keep you sane and relaxed during chaos: first, balance your blood sugar levels; second, establish a daily eating window and stick to it; and third, load up on phytocompounds and antioxidants. For a deeper dive into each recommendation, check out the full article! Read more

Mental health resources for healthcare workers —

Dr. Loice Swisher, an emergency room physician in Philadelphia and member of the American Association of Suicidology, has been treating COVID-19 patients herself and understands the emotional stress that follows. In response to the universal mental health challenges to healthcare workers today, she shared a list of 12 resources she recommends and relies on, including focusing on self-compassion, writing in a gratitude journal (whether on paper or through an app on your phone), starting a free subscription to Headspace or other meditation app, and more. We also put together a mental health resource library focusing especially on nurses, check it out. Read more

Enjoy a wellness retreat from your sofa —

Goop lists its top 10 favorite wellness retreats, tours, and cooking classes that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home (and with a good broadband connection). From Villa Fontelunga outside Cortona, Italy to safari livestreams in South Africa to Paws Up National Park inspired playlists, there's something here for everyone. Looking to "get out of the house?" Explore these options! Read more

Your leadership style could be infectious —

Whether given a title related to leadership or not, leadership is innate and something we can each nurture. Harvard Business Review did a study about "infectious leadership" that highlights the importance of leadership in organizations. They encouraged leaders to "accentuate positivity, even if it hurts." This is particularly important for healthcare leaders, especially given the current climate. We cannot always control circumstances, but we can control our response to them. So, what kind of attitude do you want to exhibit? Positive, impactful, and optimistic? Or grumpy, overwhelmed, and silent? The choice is yours, and we encourage you to seize the opportunity to lead with positivity from wherever you are. Read more