WMJ : Official Publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin

BACKGROUND: The United States is currently experiencing the worst epidemic of drug overdose in the country's history. We sought to understand whether changes in drug use behavior and access to prevention services during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to increased drug overdose. METHODS: We recruited adults with a history of injection drug use to complete an online survey during March through June 2021 to assess whether overdose experiences, drug use behaviors, and access to prevention services changed due to the pandemic...

INTRODUCTION: Wisconsin experienced overlapping and accelerating epidemics of opioid use and COVID-19 after March 2020. We hypothesized that Wisconsin neonatal abstinence syndrome rates increased after March 2020 alongside other markers of opioid burden. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analysis examined deidentified Wisconsin census, birth certificate, death certificate, hospital discharge, Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, emergency medical service run, and COVID-19 diagnosis records spanning January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2021...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease on systemic corticosteroids may be at higher risk of adverse outcomes of COVID-19 infection, and vaccination is an essential preventive measure. Uptake of the original 2-dose COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) primary vaccine series was previously high among patients with inflammatory bowel disease, while uptake of subsequent doses based on interval recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice remains unknown...

INTRODUCTION: There is a paucity of studies evaluating vaccine uptake in adults with neurological and musculoskeletal medical conditions. We sought to evaluate the rates of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in patients seen in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, single center study of adults seen at an outpatient rehabilitation clinic from December 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, with an active Wisconsin Immunization Registry record...

INTRODUCTION: Equitable COVID-19 vaccine access is essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. In many instances, COVID-19 vaccination notification and scheduling occurred through online patient portals, for which socially vulnerable populations have limited access. Our objective was to reduce disparities in COVID-19 vaccine access for the Black and socially vulnerable populations unintentionally excluded by our health system's patient portal-driven vaccine outreach through a telephone outreach initiative...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Research has established associations between romantic partners' health-related behaviors, although links between partners' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of an important medical event remain untested. METHODS: The sample was drawn from an existing study of patients who received a new opioid prescription at an emergency department visit for acute pain. We assessed COVID-19 experiences of 97 patients and their romantic partners from April 2021 through June 2022...

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented opportunities to introduce rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing (RSAT) into kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school settings. We evaluated the feasibility and functionality of Sofia Fluorescent Immunoassay Flu + SARS in 1 school district across the 2021-2022 academic year. METHODS: Seven schools in the Oregon School District (Oregon, Wisconsin) were supplied with RSAT analyzers and test kits, along with minimal training of health office staff...

INTRODUCTION: In this retrospective matched case control study, we aim to identify breast cancer-related risk factors associated with developing COVID-19 and describe outcomes of patients with breast cancer diagnosed with COVID-19. METHODS: Women with breast cancer treated at the Medical College of Wisconsin and diagnosed with COVID-19 from March through December 2020 served as cases, and those without COVID-19 within the same timeframe served as controls. Univariate and multivariate comparisons were performed...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Early in the pandemic, studies documented that there are gendered differences in many factors related to working during the pandemic, especially for caregivers. This study aimed to focus on the effects of remote work, rather than the pandemic in general, on perceptions of productivity and career trajectory in research and education faculty at an academic health center. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all faculty in the Department of Medicine...

INTRODUCTION: Nurse turnover has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurse refusal of mandated vaccines contributes to understaffing and affects patient health outcomes. The purposes of this study were to describe (1) nurse reasons for COVID-19 vaccine decisions and (2) the relationship between vaccine status and nurse characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study employed a survey of US nurses who worked in nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic...

INTRODUCTION: Physician burnout has been alarmingly high, particularly among general internal medicine, which displays some of the highest rates. A recent study of academic hospitalists reported a higher level of burnout (62%) than the rates found in similar studies, but with agreement about factors leading to burnout, consequences of burnout, and importance of steps to prevent burnout. This study seeks to expand upon these results by investigating the impact of COVID-19 on burnout among hospitalists and uncovering the perspectives of frontline clinicians to formulate effective mitigation strategies...

BACKGROUND: The food manufacturing industry is a critical economic sector and has been a high-risk industry for COVID-19. This analysis aimed to describe COVID-19 cumulative case incidence rates among Wisconsin food manufacturing workers and their worker's compensation utilization. METHODS: This was a descriptive analysis of COVID-19 cases among food manufacturing industry workers in Wisconsin from October 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021. RESULTS: Occupations with the highest cumulative case incidence rate (per 1000 workers) were Packers and Packagers, Hand (275; 95% CI, 252-300), Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders (266; 95% CI, 254-277), and Laborers and Freight, Stock and Material Movers, Hand (261; 95% CI, 247-276)...

INTRODUCTION: Work is central to the discourse surrounding the pandemic. Going to work during the COVID-19 pandemic put individuals at risk for both disease and death. This study assesses COVID-19 mortality by industry and occupation for working-age adults in Wisconsin and applies a health equity lens to understand COVID-19, demographics, work, and mortality in the state. METHODS: We used vital records data to evaluate COVID-19 mortality in Wisconsin. We assessed the demographics of working-age decedents using chi-square tests and logistic regression...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that may cause neuropsychiatric sequelae, including persistent psychotic symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old White man with no prior psychiatric history presented with altered mental status, Cotard's syndrome, and rigid delusions of poverty and homelessness 6 weeks after recovering from a mild case of COVID-19. After extensive medical workup revealed no organic etiology, he was treated for psychotic symptoms with an atypical antipsychotic, an antidepressant, and electroconvulsive therapy, with improvement over time...

INTRODUCTION: With cholangiopathy, the bile ducts become inflamed and have a "beads on string appearance" with elevated bilirubin. It is typically associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis but is now being reported as a post-COVID complication. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old White male presented with resolved respiratory failure from COVID-19 pneumonia, jaundice, and likely subacute kidney injury. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 cholangiopathy due to clinical picture and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography imaging...