Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1368868
25 PATIENT SAFETY AND OUTCOMES Kansas board reprimands 7 EMS workers who took gunshot patient to hospice, not the hospital By Gabrielle Masson T he Kansas Board of Emergency Med- ical Services has cited seven Wich- ita-area emergency responders for unprofessional conduct, failing to provide adequate care and failing to follow protocol, e Wichita Eagle reported March 30. e board said the employees "demonstrat- ed a lack of ability, knowledge or fitness to perform patient care according to applicable medical protocols." e board has proposed the seven face disciplinary measures for failing to take a 2019 suicide victim to a nearby hospital, despite the patient's pulse and labored breathing. e man had shot himself in the head and was le on the floor of his apartment for five hours with emergency responders present, at times "moaning loudly," according to the Kansas EMS Board Summary Proceeding Order. Aer five hours, the patient was covered with a white sheet and taken to hospice. He died at hospice, more than 10 hours and 39 minutes aer EMS received the 911 call. If a patient is breathing or has a heartbeat, EMS protocol is to take the person to an emergency room. ree county paramedics and four city fire personnel could be suspended, fined or have their licenses revoked by the EMS board. ey filed an appeal and remain employed, officials confirmed in March. e EMS board would not comment, citing an open investigation. e state board is also calling for an inves- tigation of Sedgwick County EMS Medical Director John Gallagher, MD, over the han- dling of the 2019 call, according to records cited by the Eagle. Dr. Gallagher decided the suicide victim was "unsalvageable," accord- ing to the EMS Board summary proceeding order. e full report had not been released as of March 30. Two months aer the call, Sedgwick County consolidated its EMS services and the medi- cal director's office, tapping Dr. Gallagher to be the county's top EMS official. Dr. Gallagher declined comment when contacted by the Eagle. A review by the Sedgwick County Medical Society found EMS handled the situation properly. Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said in a March 22 news release that county officials believe "competent and appro- priate care was provided to this patient." n 5+ early symptoms may predict 'long COVID,' study finds By Mackenzie Bean P eople who have more than five symptoms of COVID-19 during the first week of illness may be more likely to de- velop prolonged health issues, known as "long COVID," according to a study published March 10 in Nature Medicine. Researchers analyzed data on 4,182 COVID-19 cases in which patients self-reported symptoms through an app. About 13 percent of patients reported virus symptoms lasting 28 days or more, and 4.5 percent had symptoms for eight weeks or more. Another 2.3 percent reported symptoms for at least 12 weeks. Symptoms included fatigue, headache, difficulty breathing and loss of taste or smell. Patients with prolonged symptoms were more likely to be older, female or have a higher body mass index compared to those who had symptoms for 10 days or less. Based on these findings, researchers created a predictive model to distinguish between short and long COVID-19 with- in a week of illness. Researchers said the study's findings could help identify peo- ple at risk of long COVID and aid prevention, treatment and rehabilitation efforts. n COVID-19 3rd leading cause of death in the US last year, CDC finds By Erica Carbajal A fter heart disease and cancer, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published March 31. COVID-19 was reported as the underlying or contrib- uting cause of death for about 377,883 Americans in 2020, replacing suicide as one of the top 10 leading causes of death, according to the report. For compar- ison, heart disease and cancer accounted for 690,882 deaths and 598,932 deaths, respectively. Black Americans, American Indians or Alaskan Natives, men and those ages 85 and older saw the highest COVID-19 death rate. Overall, it was highest among Hispanics, according to the report. Researchers analyzed data from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, which collects and documents annual mortality statistics from death certificates, to conduct the research. Causes of death were coded based on the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. n