Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1431416
22 PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES Transplant waiting period unfair for alcoholic liver disease patients, surgeons say By Mackenzie Bean S ome surgeons are rethinking the informal, yet widespread prac- tice of requiring patients with alcoholic liver disease to be sober for six months before they can join a waitlist for a liver transplant, Kaiser Health News reported Oct. 12. e rationale for the practice, which dates back to the 1980s, is that the waiting period gives a person's liver time to heal, potentially avoiding the need for a transplant. If the liver does not heal, the patient has at least proven he or she can stay sober aer the transplant. However, emerging research has poked holes in this premise and suggests that the six-month period is not a good predictor of long-term sobriety. Some surgeons and family members also argue the practice unfairly penalizes people with substance use disorder, which is now bet- ter understood as a disease rather than a personal failure of the patient's. "We have to move beyond denying people lifesaving therapy because we think they don't deserve it," Andrew Cameron, MD, PhD, head of the liver transplant program at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, told Kaiser Health News. Transplant centers can set their own policies on the waiting period, as there is no national regulation. As of 2019, only about one-third of hospitals performing liver transplants had done the procedure without the waiting period, according to research cited by Kaiser Health News. Patients who cannot access these hospitals and are forced to wait may die without ever making it on a transplant wait- ing list, according to Dr. Cameron. Some physicians have expressed concern that eliminating the policy could overwhelm an already limited supply of donor livers in the U.S. Scrutiny of the practice comes as many U.S. hospitals have reported an uptick in hospitalizations for alcoholic liver disease since 2020. n COVID-19 misinformation prompts misuse of nebulizers, allergy foundation warns By Mackenzie Bean A new social media trend is spurring people to inhale hydrogen peroxide under the illusion that it can prevent or treat COVID-19, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America warned Sept. 21. Some social media users have posted videos of themselves breathing in the antiseptic through a nebulizer designed to turn liquid asthma medication into a mist. The patient advocacy group called the trend "danger- ous and alarming," and said inhaling other chemicals through a nebulizer can damage the lungs. Posts spreading this misinformation on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok have already garnered hundreds of thousands of views, the allergy group's Chief Mission officer Mela- nie Carver told The Washington Post. "Before this information spreads further, we want people with asthma to know how important it is to only use their prescribed asthma treatments in their nebulizers," Ms. Carver told The Post. n Joint Commission launches 'Speak up Against Dicrimination' campaign By Cailey Gleeson T he Joint Commission announced Oct. 7 the "Speak Up Against Discrimination" campaign, an educational campaign encour- aging patients to report if they experience discrimination while receiving healthcare. Executive Vice President, CMO, and Chief Diversity Inclusion Officer Ana Pujols McKee, said in a news release the organization has "no tolerance" for discrimation in healthcare. "Unfortunately, institutional, systemic racism and bias still exist in health care," Dr. Pujols McKee said. "While we have Joint Commission standards and requirements in place to help health care organizations provide care that is free from discrimination, I strongly encourage any patient who receives discriminatory care to speak up and act. By doing so, you may help future patients from being discriminated against." The campaign recommends steps patients can take if they experi- ence discrimination and/or substandard care: • Find out the organization's policy for reporting complaints. If possi- ble, try to work with the organization. • Talk to the organization's patient advocacy department. • File a complaint with HHS' Office for Civil Rights or with the state health department. • Contact the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. • If the issue remains unaddressed and the organization is accredited or certified by The Joint Commission, report a patient safety con- cern to its Office of Quality and Patient Safety. n