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When hospitals support trauma survivors’ mental health during and after treatment, patients are less likely to return in crisis, researchers report. There’s no uniform guidance on how to offer mental health services to these patients, noted lead study author Laura Prater. Fewer hospital readmissions are a good sign that people’s mental health needs are being met at home. “Being in the emergency department is traumatic in its own right, plus returning to the scene where you first received care following an injury or assault is not ideal,” Prater said. “Managing trauma and the mental health fallout from that trauma is best done at home, where you’re in a safe location.” Prater is now assistant professor of health services management and policy at Ohio State University’s College of Public Health. She completed the study while at the University of Washington. Her team studied five years of data on patients who experienced traumatic incidents such as motor vehicle crashes, shootings and domestic violence. The first-of-its kind analysis included 171 patients who were seen at a University of Washington trauma center. They were randomly chosen to receive standard care or a comprehensive mental health intervention. The intervention had three parts: having trauma survivors describe their personal concerns; coordinating hospital care and providing enhanced mental health treatment; and round-the-clock access to support after patients left the hospital. Three to… read on > read on >

The world is being flooded with internet-driven misinformation, but there are ways to counter fake news with the facts, a new report says. These include aggressive fact-checking, preemptively debunking lies before they take root and nudging people to be more skeptical before sharing information, the American Psychological Association analysis found. The product of more than a year’s work by a panel of international experts, the report explains why anyone is susceptible to misinformation if it’s presented in an enticing way. For example, a person is more likely to believe misinformation if it comes from an apparently credible source or a group to which they belong, the report revealed. People also are more likely to believe false statements if they appeal to powerful emotions like fear or outrage, or if they paint groups viewed as “others” in a negative light. “’Echo chambers’ bind and isolate online communities with similar views, which aids the spread of falsehoods and impedes the spread of factual corrections,” the report said. And misinformation is viral – people are more likely to believe it the more it is repeated, even if it contradicts their own personal knowledge. “It is effortful and difficult for our brains to apply existing knowledge when encountering new information; when new claims are false but sufficiently reasonable, we can learn them as facts,” the report said. “Thus, everyone is… read on > read on >

It might seem that surfing the web could cause a person’s mental health to suffer, but a landmark new study has concluded that internet use poses no major threat to people’s psychological well-being. Researchers compared country-level internet and broadband use to the mental well-being of millions of people in dozens of countries, and came away with no evidence that the internet is causing widespread psychological harm. “We looked very hard for a ‘smoking gun’ linking technology and well-being and we didn’t find it,” said senior researcher Andrew Przybylski, a professor of human behavior and technology at the Oxford Internet Institute in the U.K. The team also looked more closely at specific age groups as well as gender and, again, came up empty-handed — refuting concerns that internet use might be harming the psychological health of younger people and women. “We meticulously tested whether there is anything special in terms of age or gender, but there is no evidence to support popular ideas that certain groups are more at risk,” Przybylski noted in an Oxford news release. In fact, average life satisfaction has increased more for females over the past two decades, researchers found. For the study, researchers compared data from two different reports on well-being and mental health against the amount of internet and smartphone use. They examined data on the mental health of 2… read on > read on >

About one in eight military families are turning to food banks and community pantries to make ends meet and feed their children, a new study finds. More than 13% of military families with at least one child said they used a food bank at least once in the past 12 months, according to a 2021 survey of more than 8,300 families with an active service member in the U.S. Army or Air Force. The odds of using a food pantry increased by 35% for each dependent child in the family, the results showed. “If we look at the American population in general, about half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck,” said lead researcher Catherine O’Neal, an assistant professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “So, it’s not really all that surprising that what we’re seeing with the military reflects the broader population.” Army families were 131% more likely to use a food bank than Air Force families, and lower-ranking service members were more likely to need a food bank than those of higher rank, researchers found. Asian, Black and multiracial families were about 50% more likely to use a food bank than White families. Previous research has shown that about one in four military families experience some level of food insecurity. Given this, researchers suspect more military families might… read on > read on >

A Mr. Magoo with thick glasses peering out from behind the wheel might not inspire confidence from his fellow motorists, but a new study shows other types of vision loss might be even more dangerous while driving. Loss of peripheral vision also can dramatically increase the risk of a car crash, Australian researchers presented in findings this week at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s annual meeting in San Francisco. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Eye chart tests check for visual acuity, or the ability to see distant objects clearly, and state laws generally require motorists to have 20/40 vision or better in at least one eye to drive unrestricted. But researchers instead focused on visual field, or how widely a person can see when staring straight ahead. A wide field of vision would allow drivers to see potential hazards on either side of a car while still paying attention to what is in front of them. The research team at Western Australia University evaluated nearly three decades’ worth of data on more than 31,000 drivers aged 50 or older. More than 4,000 of the older drivers (14%) had been involved in at least one car crash, and more than half of those were experiencing some extent of visual field loss. Analysis showed that visual field loss of any sort… read on > read on >

Drowsy driving causes thousands of car crashes a year and teen drivers say they are often sleepy behind the wheel. In a new survey, teens reported high rates of drowsy driving. School and job commitments were the top factors keeping them up at night. A corresponding survey of U.S. adult drivers showed similar trends. Both teens and adults called drowsy driving “highly risky.” Previous studies have established that young people are at high risk for drowsy driving. “What we see in our results this year is many teens, early in their driving experience, say they’ve already driven while drowsy. Overall, teens know the risks of drowsy driving, but don’t think it’s as risky as other forms of impaired driving,” Joseph Dzierzewski, a vice president of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), said in a foundation news release. “The good news is — drowsy driving is preventable, and there’s a lot we can teach our young drivers about the importance of getting the sleep they need before they get behind the wheel,” he added. The NSF’s 2023 Drowsy Driving Survey is part of its Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, a campaign to help Americans get the sleep they need and reduce numbers of sleep-deprived people behind the wheel. Drowsy driving kills an estimated 6,400 people a year in the United States alone, according to the AAA Foundation for… read on > read on >

Federal regulators are warning consumers to stop using eyedrops and gels from several major brands after finding unsanitary conditions in a manufacturing plant. Twenty-six eye care products are part of the alert. Contaminated products have the potential to cause eye infection and blindness because drugs applied to the eye can bypass some of the body’s defenses. Those concerning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are branded CVS Health, Leader (Cardinal Health), Rugby (Cardinal Health), Rite Aid, Target Up & Up and Velocity Pharma. The FDA urged the manufacturer to recall all lots of these products. CVS, Rite Aid and Target are pulling products from shelves and websites. Although there were no reports of infection, bacterial tests were positive in critical drug product areas of the plant. The FDA’s list of eye products to avoid is here. Patients and providers should report any issues to the FDA. Consumers should discard products involved in the recall at a drug take-back site. They can also check the FDA’s flush list to see if they can be safely discarded at home, the New York Times reported. Certain products — those branded Leader, Rugby and Velocity — may still be available for purchase in stores and online. Don’t buy them, the FDA advised. Rite Aid is removing “applicable Rite Aid branded products” from store shelves, a spokeswoman said. CVS “immediately… read on > read on >

Telehealth may be a powerful way to get people with opioid use disorder to take — and stay on — medication to treat their addiction. Researchers report that those who started buprenorphine treatment via telehealth had an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to those who started the treatment in another setting. “This study suggests that telehealth may increase treatment access and retention, strengthening the evidence that receiving addiction care through telehealth is to be safe and beneficial, and that it should be made available to those who need it,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “To quell the unprecedented loss of life from the overdose crisis, we must continue to prioritize both increasing access to treatment and providing the care and support people need to stay in treatment after they have started,” Volkow said in an agency news release. The research was part of the HEALing Communities Study, which is a large addiction prevention and treatment implementation study supported by NIDA. Before 2020, people with opioid use disorder were required to meet in person with a health care provider to start buprenorphine treatment, but during the pandemic the U.S. government allowed more prescribing flexibility to improve access. Clinicians could then prescribe the medication without examining patients in person. Payment for these appointments was also expanded.… read on > read on >

E-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards are everywhere — and injuries related to their use are soaring. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a new report on Tuesday showing that injuries associated with these so-called micro-mobility devices increased nearly 21% in 2022 alone, compared to 2021. Injury estimates were based on data collected between 2017 and 2022 from a nationally representative sample of U.S. hospitals. About 46% of all estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 to 2022 occurred in 2022 alone. Hoverboard injuries were the only type to go against trend, decreasing 26% from 2021 to 2022. Between 2017 and 2022, 233 deaths were associated with these devices, according to the CPSC, although reporting is not yet complete. Kids were a big portion of those injured, with children 14 and younger accounting for 36% of e-bike, e-scooter and hoverboard injuries during those years. That’s double the 18% proportion of the U.S. population that kids comprise. Black consumers represented 29% of injuries on these electric devices, a significantly higher proportion than their 13% of the U.S. population. Additionally, more than 360,000 emergency department visits were related to these devices from 2017 through 2022. Fractures and bruises/scrapes were the two most common injuries. The upper and lower limbs and the head and neck were most frequently injured. Another significant hazard associated with these devices was fires. The CPSC… read on > read on >

When your teen gets a driver’s license, you’ll likely have mixed emotions. While you’re off the hook for carpools, it’s scary to think about your baby behind the wheel. Now, a new video game technology that exposes drivers to the most common serious crash scenarios and sees how they react may help predict what type of driver your teen will be. It can also highlight any potential problems, a new study suggests. “Not only is the virtual driving assessment a great resource for young drivers to get feedback on their driving going beyond just pass or fail results, but it can also be a helpful resource for parents to determine if their child is ready to drive safely [and] know what types of driving skills they should focus on when taking their teens out to practice,” said study author Elizabeth Walshe. She’s a research scientist and leader of the Neuroscience of Driving Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Injury Research and Prevention. Walshe is also an investor in the new video technology called Ready Assess by Diagnostic Driving, Inc. The virtual driving assessment is a fully immersive 15-minute, self-guided simulated drive that measures a person’s ability to drive safely and avoid crashes. Drivers use a steering wheel, pedals and headphones while following the course on a computer screen. It measures more than 100… read on > read on >