NEWS
Take a Pain Check
Pain – a common symptom experienced by patients with cancer – is not only detrimental to patients ’ quality of life , but also to employment and financial outcomes , according to a study of 1,213 cancer survivors .
Compared with those reporting no pain , more individuals who experienced any level of pain reported :
The Transgender Gap
A survey examining transgender adults ’ health conditions and experiences with the health care system reveals a depressing statistic :
87.4 % |
Retiring early |
12.6 %
|
|
|
69.4 %
75 %
65.8 %
|
Feeling less productive at work
Borrowing money or going into debt
Worrying about paying medical bills
|
30.6 %
25 %
34.2 %
|
Nearly 1 in 2 patients reported experiencing mistreatment at the hands of a medical provider . |
“ Better assessment of pain severity among survivors and implementation of strategies to assist with employment and financial objectives may be important steps to enhance patient-centered care ,” the authors concluded .
Source : Halpern MT , de Moor JS , Yabroff KR , et al . Impact of pain on employment and financial outcomes among cancer survivors [ published online ahead of print , 2021 Jul 22 ]. J Clin Oncol . doi : 10.1200 / JCO . 20.03746 .
Clots and Coronavirus
A recent study in a large , ethnically diverse population confirms the link between COVID-19 and venous thromboembolism ( VTE ).
Researchers compared incidence of VTE ( deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism ) between 6,319 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 and 6,319 matched hospitalized adults without COVID-19 between January and August 2020 .
The rate was even higher for transgender people of color , at 68 %.
During 30-day follow-up , adults with
had a greater than 3-fold risk of VTE , compared to matched controls .
Predictors of VTE in patients with COVID-19 included age ≥55 years , Black race , prior VTE , diagnosed sepsis , prior moderate or severe liver disease , BMI ≥40 kg / m 2 , and platelet count > 217 × 10 9 / L .
Source : Go AS , Reynolds K , Tabada GH , et al . COVID-19 and risk of VTE in ethnically diverse populations [ published online ahead of print , 2021 Jul 9 ]. Chest . doi : 10.1016 / j . chest . 2021.07.025 .
Mistreatment was described as refusal of care , as well as verbal or physical abuse .
These experiences are likely to have negative effects on the health of transgender individuals : 28 % reported postponing or not receiving necessary medical care for fear of experiencing discrimination .
( See Editor ’ s Corner on page 7 for the patient and provider perspective on achieving health equity for transgender patients .)
Source : Center for American Progress , “ Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities ,” August 18 , 2021 .
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