Healthcare is one of the most highly regulated sectors in the U.S. economy. Regulatory compliance costs hospitals $1,200 for every patient admitted, according to the American Hospital Association.

“Whether telemedicine is a good or bad thing for the physician-patient relationship is largely dependent on the individual level of comfort of the patient and their physician,” says Joy L. Lee, PhD

As of 2019, just over 27% of hospitals had telestroke capacity, according to the study. Over a third of hospitals with telestroke capacity by 2017 were larger health systems, while nearly 15% were smaller organizations.

Ideally, there should be no need to reuse cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) like pacemakers and defibrillators—every patient should be able to get a new one. But that is not always the case. The price of these devices can be prohibitive to many, and supply shortages can also limit access.

While it is possible to collect, inspect, decontaminate, and re-implant a CIED into a new host, the practice is banned domestically in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Among the main reasons are concerns about infection.

However, a new study suggests those fears might be unfounded. 

While banned for domestic use, used CIEDs from America and Canada have been donated to poorer nations for decades. These devices end up in countries in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Each device undergoes a quality check and decontamination before being sent off to be re-implanted. A team of researchers decided to examine how much a patient’s infection risk increased when given a used CIED.

Working with behavioral health patients is a challenge at any time. During an infectious disease outbreak such as COVID-19, the task is magnified by stress, the need for social isolation, infection control needs, and even diminishing supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The tools to deal with the situation must also be enhanced.