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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
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COVID-19 Symptoms
CDC
Among hospitalized patients, research frequently reports that the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- Fever or chills.
- Cough.
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- Myalgia or fatigue.
- Muscle or body aches.
- Sore throat.
- Headache.
- New loss of taste or smell.
- Congestion or runny nose.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
Symptoms have been found to differ alongside the severity of the disease, and atypical presentations often occur.
American College of Gastroenterology
The American College of Gastroenterology, in partnership with other gastroenterology (GI) organizations, has released a message sharing additional GI-related COVID-19 symptoms:
- The incidence of GI symptoms including nausea and/or diarrhea are uncertain with some reports below 5% and others at 50%. There have been some reports of isolated diarrhea preceding cough and fever.
- The virus may be present in GI secretions and viral RNA is detectable in stool. Gastrointestinal infection and potential fecal-oral transmission must be considered.
- Asymptomatic spread can occur during the prodromal phase (the mean incubation period is around five days, with a range of zero to 14 days), with viral shedding greatest when symptoms begin.
- Abnormal liver enzymes are observed in 20-30% of patients confirmed to have COVID-19.
- Leukocyte counts drop in patients confirmed to have COVID-19, and elevated white blood cell count is a poor prognostic sign.
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COVID-19 High-risk Populations
CDC
People who are at a higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 symptoms include:
- Adults aged 65 years or older.
- People who have serious underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, lung disease and more.
Additionally, nurse practitioners (NPs) should encourage extra precautions for patients who:
- Have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 or someone diagnosed with pneumonia of an unknown cause.
- Are currently experiencing homelessness.
- Currently smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke.
- Are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Are of an ethnic or racial minority.
- Have a disability, developmental or behavioral disorder or substance use disorder.
- Are living in a nursing home or long-term care facility.
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)
This association has a number of resources available for health care providers who treat patients with autoimmune disease, including free webinar recordings, frequently asked questions (FAQs), informational pieces written by AARDA leadership and much more.
American College of Cardiology (ACC)
This association offers a COVID-19 hub, with resources including journal articles, webinars, podcast episodes, operational guidance, clinical guidance and more.
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
ADA has hosted a webinar series for health care providers and people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from the impact COVID-19 can have on youth with diabetes and families in quarantine to inpatient care questions.
American Heart Association (AHA)
The AHA has helpful resources for health systems, clinics, care providers, patients and the public, including clinical research journal articles, informational videos, podcast episodes, emergency guidance and more.
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)
ASMBS has released a series of webinars, including one on keeping patients engaged and avoiding caregiver burnout and one sharing considerations for restarting metabolic and bariatric surgery in the context of COVID-19. Both webinars also feature a family nurse practitioner (FNP) as a panelist.
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
Patients with addiction are a vulnerable population, facing multiple challenges during COVID-19. The ASAM Caring for Patients During the COVID-19 (CPDC) Task Force was started to provide the most up-to-date resources for clinicians regarding addiction medicine treatment.
Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES)
Learn from ADCES diabetes experts, who provide insight on topics like telehealth, coping with COVID-19, reducing risk and problem-solving, medication resources, misinformation and disease prevention.
Exercise Is Medicine® (EIM)
Together with the American College of Sports Medicine®, EIM has created a tool kit of resources and support for keeping your patients active during the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
A new webinar series from NAM and the American Society of Addiction Medicine is designed to provide insight and targeted guidance for health care providers caring for individuals with substance use disorders.
National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH)
Many of your patients are no doubt experiencing some level of depression or anxiety due to isolation and stress caused by COVID-19. The NCBH has developed resources to help you provide some comfort during this difficult time, along with clinical guidance, information for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and more.
National Organization for Rare Disorders® (NORD)
NORD has on-demand video and webinars, patient assistance programs and weekly state-focused virtual discussion groups, among other resources for vulnerable patient populations.
New Jersey Perinatal Care During COVID-19 Work Group
Neonatologists, obstetricians, midwives, social workers and others have developed comprehensive recommendations for pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The result, Recommendations of the New Jersey Perinatal Care During COVID-19 Work Group, is now being distributed throughout the state to guide clinicians, families and caregivers. The report will be regularly updated.
The Obesity Society
The Obesity Society has a number of articles available for free detailing the impact of COVID-19 upon patients with obesity. This includes how school closings may lead to the risk of increased weight gain in children, the impact upon bariatric surgery and more.
Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)
The ONS has released interim guidelines for the safe handling of hazardous cancer drugs in the context of personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, along with other resources for oncology nurses.
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COVID-19 Testing
CDC
The CDC offers recommendations on viral and antibody testing. CDC guidance reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.
FDA
The FDA has released a helpful video explaining the different tests currently available for COVID-19.
The FDA maintains a list of EUAs issued for tests in response to COVID-19. As of December 28, the FDA has authorized 309 tests and sample collection devices under emergency use authorizations (EUAs), which include 235 molecular tests and sample collection devices, 63 antibody tests and 11 antigen tests.
Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement
Before you set up or start working at an off-site COVID-19 testing center, review this infographic from the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement and QUALIDIGM. It lists items you should consider, such as how to determine testing capacity, create a follow-up process for results and get reimbursed for testing.
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COVID-19 Immunization and Treatment
Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) Partnership
This partnership will develop a collaborative framework to prioritize vaccine and drug candidates, streamline clinical trials, coordinate regulatory processes and/or leverage assets among all involved partners to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics.
CDC
The CDC is tracking the latest COVID-19 vaccine news, and offers information about vaccine recommendations, how researchers are ensuring the safety of vaccines, how COVID-19 vaccines work and other details. A number of COVID-19 vaccine resources are now available, including:
- Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for for Medical Centers, Clinics and Clinicians.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for Long-term Care Facilities.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for Health Care Professionals.
- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Planning and Partnerships.
- COVID-19 Vaccine-specific Product Information.
- Clinical Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination.
- Vaccination Considerations for People With Underlying Medical Conditions.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Requirements.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Training and Education.
- Post-vaccine Considerations for Health Care Personnel.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Operational Guidance for Jurisdictions Playbook.
- COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting Data Systems.
- V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker.
FDA
The FDA issued the first two emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is for the prevention of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in individuals 16 years of age and older. The Moderna vaccine will be distributed in the U.S. for individuals 18 years of age and older. AANP is committed to ensuring that NP have access to the latest COVID-19 vaccine information so they can educate patients on the importance of vaccination, and the association urges the public to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity.
On October 22, the FDA approved remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) requiring hospitalization; this does not include the entire population that had been authorized to use remdesivir under EUA.
The FDA offers both a list of diagnostic tests and medical devices and a list of therapeutics that have been approved to treat COVID-19 under EUAs.
Convalescent plasma has the potential to lessen the severity or shorten the length of illness caused by COVID-19. The FDA is currently encouraging people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 for at least two weeks to contact their local blood or plasma collection center to schedule an appointment to donate plasma.
Additional Updates:
- The EUA for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine has been revoked as of June 15. Additionally, the use of remdesivir and chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine sulfate is not recommended. This is based on the FDA's ongoing analysis and emerging scientific data determining these drugs to be unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19 for the authorized uses in the EUA.
- On May 29, the FDA made its COVID MyStudies mobile app, previously named FDA MyStudies, available for free to assist researchers in obtaining patients’ informed consent for eligible clinical trials when face-to-face contact is not possible.
- On March 31, the FDA began the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP) to bring new therapies to sick patients as quickly as possible while supporting research to further evaluate whether these therapies are safe and effective.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Based on a patient's age, length of time experiencing symptoms and medical conditions, they may be eligible for COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment. As of January 6, HHS had allocated more than 641,000 COVID-19 monoclonal antibody patient treatment courses to states and territories. However, only about 25% of these treatment courses have been used in authorized patient populations. The FDA has authorized two monoclonal antibody treatments for emergency use: bamlanivimab, casirivimab and imdevimab.
Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)
Guidelines on the treatment and management of COVID-19 are available from IDSA. The evidence-based guidelines were developed using the GRADE methodology and are frequently updated. A panel of infectious disease clinicians, pharmacists and methodologists with varied areas of expertise created the guidelines.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN has released a joint statement with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the Federation of State Medical Boards on the inappropriate prescribing and stockpiling of medications, including chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, to prevent or treat COVID-19 for themselves or their family members.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The NIH has released COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines, which will be frequently updated as more information on the disease becomes available.
The NIH also releases updates on clinical trials, studies, training and other information related to COVID-19. See the current list of clinical trials.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Group
NEJM Group has a free, interactive clinical reasoning resource designed to help health care providers navigate the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. NEJM Group plans to maintain the free case simulations for a number of months.
Operation Warp Speed
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Operation Warp Speed's goal is to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines. Initial doses are planned to be available beginning January 2021, as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
The SCCM COVID-19 Rapid Resource Center contains information on medical nutrition therapy, unanticipated consequences of the pandemic and pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The educational resources are available in a variety of formats, including infographics, podcasts and journal articles.
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COVID-19 Infection Control
CDC
The CDC recommends mask wearing in public settings and when people are around others not in their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
All health care providers, including NPs, should take steps to prepare for COVID-19 in their practice as well as follow recommended infection control procedures to protect themselves and others:
- Limit how germs can enter health care facilities. This may include:
- Canceling elective procedures.
- Using telehealth when possible.
- Limiting points of entry and managing visitors.
- Screening patients for respiratory symptoms.
- Encouraging patient respiratory hygiene using alternatives to face masks.
- Isolate symptomatic patients as soon as possible. This may include:
- Setting up separate, well-ventilated triage areas.
- Placing patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in private rooms with the door closed and with a private bathroom.
- Prioritizing airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) for patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures.
- Protect health care personnel. This may include:
- Emphasizing hand hygiene.
- Installing barriers to limit contact with patients at points of triage.
- Limiting the number of staff members providing care.
- Prioritizing respirators and AIIRs for aerosol-generating procedures.
- Properly donning and doffing recommended PPE.
- Implementing PPE optimization strategies to extend supplies.
- Implementing strategies to optimize the supply of N95 respirators.
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces in all high-traffic, frequently touched areas and at home, including:
- Stair rails, escalator handrails, office computers and phones.
- Steering wheels and car door handles.
- Home door handles and faucet handles, refrigerator and drawer handles, remote controls, and computer keyboards and mice.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
CMS released guidance on reopening health care facilities to provide non-emergent, non-COVID-19 care. The first phase includes the continued use of telehealth-delivered care, facility considerations and PPE recommendations for clinicians and patients, among other information.
American College of Gastroenterology
The American College of Gastroenterology, in partnership with other gastroenterology (GI) organizations, has released a message sharing additional guidelines for infection control in for clinicians and GI practices.
- Limit how germs can enter health care facilities. This may include:
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COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
CDC
If health care providers are in close contact with a patient confirmed to have COVID-19 while not wearing all recommended PPE, they may be at an increased risk of infection. To limit this risk, health care providers should use appropriate PPE; properly don, use and doff PPE; practice hand hygiene; and review guidance on returning to work after a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection.
The CDC offers two documents designed to help providers cope with stress and build mental resilience during the pandemic: for health care personnel and for emergency responders.
In addition, the CDC recommends health care personnel be among those offered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
FDA
The FDA maintains lists of EUAs issued in response to COVID-19, which include ventilators and other medical devices that serve to reduce patient and health care provider contact and exposure to COVID-19. In addition, the FDA offers information on PPE and other resources relevant to NPs, including:
- N95 respirators, surgical masks and face masks.
- Medical gloves.
- Medical gowns.
- Medical glove conservation strategies.
- Surgical mask and gown conservation strategies.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA has updated guidance and resources available on using, reusing and decontaminating filtering facepiece respirators. OSHA also has guidance protecting workers in nursing home and long-term care facilities.
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COVID-19 Telehealth
CDC
Telehealth is suggested by the CDC as an alternative for in-office appointments, as triaging and assessing ill patients by telephone, text monitoring system, video conference or other telehealth methods can reduce the chance of exposure for staff members and minimize a surge on health care facilities.
AANP
AANP's COVID-19 Telehealth Updates include several Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) documents related to telehealth, as well as information on policies and legislation affecting telehealth-delivered care.
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COVID-19 Funding
NIH
The NIH offers information on both grants and funding opportunities specific to COVID-19, as well as guidance and frequently asked questions for researchers.
Primary Care Collaborative
Some health plans are offering clinicians and their primary care practices financial support. If you know of other health plans that are offering prospective or advance payments, please email the Primary Care Collaborative at Communications1@pcpcc.org.
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COVID-19 Research
AANP
AANP conducted two surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on NPs.
- August 2020 Survey: AANP fielded its most recent survey between July 28 and August 9 to capture the latest information on COVID-19’s impact on NPs and NP practice. Approximately 4,000 NPs provided essential feedback to the association based on experiences in their own communities treating patients in evolving health care environments.
- May 2020 COVID-19 Survey: More than 4,800 NPs responded to the first COVID-19 Impact Survey between May 8 and May 18, 2020. The purpose of this survey was to gather information on how COVID-19 impacted NPs and NP practice, including testing needs, employment changes, treatment barriers and more. This information is essential as AANP works to address the challenges faced by NPs in the current environment, including advocating for the removal of practice barriers.
AcademyHealth
AcademyHealth is supporting a new initiative that aims to build a COVID-19 Patient Data Registry Network. The goal of the network is to provide researchers, policymakers and clinicians with quality information on the impact and progression of COVID-19.
AcademyHealth has also identified priority research questions on COVID-19 for health systems. The report includes questions on how COVID-19 is impacting health system policies, processes, providers and patient care.
American Association for Public Opinion Research
The American Association for Public Opinion Research has released guidance for survey researchers and IRBs. The guidance covers risks and benefits for survey participants, informed consent, mandatory reporting and incentives.
Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP)
AAHRPP has issued guidance how to protect research participants and report any study changes to an Institutional Review Board (IRB). AAHRPP’s suggestions align with the Food and Drug Administration’s guidance on conducting clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance
The Alliance is in the process of creating a secure, de-identified, international case reporting registry in order to help guide rheumatology clinicians in assessing and treating patients with rheumatologic disease and in evaluating the risk of infection in patients on immunosuppression.
EBSCO
EBSCO has created a COVID-19 Information Portal to support the immediate need for trusted health care information during the pandemic. This includes open access resources and research, clinical care information and data maps and visualizations.
FDA
The FDA has released guidance for industry, investigators and institutional review boards (IRBs) interested in conducting clinical trials of medical products during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Health Affairs
A collection of preprint journal articles and other resources related to COVID-19 are available from Health Affairs. Additionally, several published journal articles are available at no cost to the public.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
IHI offers COVID-19 guidance and resources for health care providers, including a free weekly learning hour on COVID-19, a data dashboard on the trajectory of COVID-19 reported deaths and a daily call for health care providers working in nursing homes.
The Lancet
To assist researchers and clinicians, The Lancet has established a COVID-19 Resource Centre. Articles and podcasts on the effects of the virus on prisoners, misinformation and vaccine development are available for free.
MedRxiv
To promote open access and share key information on COVID-19 research, medRxiv is preprinting research articles. While articles should not be used to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior, since they have not yet been peer reviewed, they can be used to start a dialogue on current and future COVID-19 research.
NIH
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, has launched a COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network (COVPN) for vaccines, and other prevention tools, with the aim of enrolling in thousands of volunteers in large-scale clinical trials testing. Individuals can securely volunteer for studies on the NIH website.
Additional Updates:
- The NIH Office of Intramural Research has created a COVID-19 Scientific Interest Group. Scientists within the NIH are invited to contribute to the group to exchange information concerning research on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2.
- The NIAID has released the four key priorities of its strategic plan for COVID-19 research, which include improving our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19; developing rapid, accurate diagnostics and assays to identify and isolate COVID-19 cases and track the spread of the virus; characterizing and testing potential treatments for COVID-19; and developing safe and effective vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks both now and in the future.
- The NIH initiative, Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx), is designed to speed innovation, development and commercialization of testing technologies related to COVID-19 and is supported through a $1.5 billion investment from federal stimulus funding.
National Library of Medicine
A number of drugs are under investigation in clinical trials or are being considered for clinical trials to treat COVID-19.
Additional Updates:
- Researchers have identified the genomic features of SARS-CoV-2 (as well as other high-fatality coronaviruses) to distinguish the virus that causes COVID-19 from other members of the coronavirus family.
- LitCOVID is the NIH and NLM literature hub for up-to-date research articles about COVID-19. The articles are updated daily and are categorized by different research topics and geographic locations.
PCORI
The PCORI Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry is a large, national clinical research community. It invites health care workers from across the U.S. to share clinical and life experiences to understand the perspectives and problems they face on the COVID-19 pandemic front lines. HERO Registry participants could have the opportunity to participate in future research studies to improve our understanding of COVID-19 and beyond, generating evidence to help keep healthcare workers safe and healthy. The first study, the HERO-HCQ Trial, will invite 15,000 health care workers from the registry to evaluate whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 infections.
In May, the PCORI Health Care Horizon Scanning System (HCHSS) expanded to include information on COVID-19-related preventive measures, diagnostics, treatments and management strategies. The HCHSS will release biweekly COVID-19 briefs for the next 12 months.
Primary Care Collaborative and The Larry A. Green Center
Results from the Primary Care Collaborative and The Larry A. Green Center survey indicate that many clinicians do not have adequate testing capabilities and personal protective equipment. The results also reflect that lack of information on the prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.S.
World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR)
Public opinion research on COVID-19 is being conducted all over the world. Reports from those studies have been collected by WAPOR from Gallup Pakistan, Kstat, Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, Pew Research Center and other research institutes. The list is publicly available and still accepting research studies.
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COVID-19 Student Resources
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB)
AANPCB, alongside a number of additional NP and nursing organizations and accrediting bodies, has released a statement regarding NP students and direct care clinical hours.
American College Health Association
New guidelines are available from the American College Health Association on how to safely reopen college campuses. The guidelines are broad so that small and large institutions can easily modify them to fit their campuses.
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COVID-19 Health Disparities
AANP
AANP has released a position paper on its commitment to addressing health care disparities during COVID-19. As a professional home for NPs, AANP is committed to empowering all NPs to advance high-quality, equitable care while addressing health care disparities through practice, education, advocacy, research and leadership (PEARL).
NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities
CEAL has released information and resources for health care providers to address misinformation, build trust and reduce the impact of COVID-19. From sample social media posts and images to infographics and patient education tools, CEAL can help providers talk with their communities about COVID-19, vaccines under development and the importance of being included in research studies.
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau has created a dashboard to show states' COVID-19 impact planning reports, nationwide demographic and economic analysis and additional data on how the pandemic is impacting communities and Americans across the U.S.
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COVID-19 Continuing Education (CE)
Available in the AANP CE Center:
- Role of Primary Care in Suicide Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic — 1.0 contact hours of CE; AANP members only.
- The Time Is Now: The Nurse Practitioner’s Role in COVID-19 Vaccination During a Global Pandemic (Part 1) — 1.67 contact hours of CE, 1.25 of which may be applied toward pharmacology.
- The Time Is Now: The Nurse Practitioner's Role in COVID-19 Vaccination During a Global Pandemic (Part 2) — 1.67 contact hours of CE, 1.5 of which may be applied toward pharmacology.
- The Time Is Now: The Nurse Practitioner’s Role in COVID-19 Vaccination During a Global Pandemic (Part 3) — register now for this upcoming webinar, which will be hosted by AANP on January 22.
- Winter Update of A Case in the Life: COVID-19 — register now for this upcoming webinar, which will be hosted by AANP on February 4.
Patient Education Resources Related to COVID-19
- Infographic: Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 – Five Best Practices for Keeping Yourself and Those Around You Safe.
- Infographic: What Are COVID-19 Symptoms.
- Infographic: Protect Yourself and Others From COVID-19.
- Article: Coronavirus Tips You Need to Know: Eight Important Questions Answered by an NP Expert.
- Form: Being Prepared in the Time of COVID-19 – The Conversation Project created this form for patients to complete, which will help them prepare during the pandemic. The form contains information on how to designate a health care decision-maker and how patients can communicate with their loved ones about what they would want if they became seriously ill.
Infectious Disease CE Courses
- Advanced Hepatitis C Treatment: The NP’s Role in Eradicating the Disease in the Community
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Mumps: A Call for Vigilance
Mumps is a viral infectious disease that historically was a common childhood illness. The mumps vaccine, first licensed in 1967, has successfully decreased the number of cases to the point that mumps is no longer a frequently encountered disease. Prior to the mumps vaccine program, approximately 186,000 cases of mumps were reported each year in the United States (U.S.). Even with the sporadic clusters of re-emergence, there has been a 99% decrease in the number of reported cases since the inception of the vaccination program. As of July 15, 2017, there have been 3,886 cases of mumps reported this year in 45 states, making it a clinically relevant, though not prevalent, illness. Although not a new illness, many health care providers may not have diagnosed or treated patients diagnosed with mumps. Here, we provide vital information to NPs, so they may adequately diagnose and treat mumps as well as remain vigilant in their surveillance of such an old virus that continues to infect individuals today.
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Preventing New HIV Infections with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
The CDC estimates that there were 37,600 new HIV infections in 2014. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective tool for the prevention of new HIV infections that was approved by the FDA in 2012. PrEP is largely under utilized by primary care providers. This clinical feature addresses provider barriers that impede prescribing PrEP to high-risk patients and provides a straightforward approach for NPs to offer PrEP in the primary care setting.
NP Tools and Resources
AANP-developed Resources to Support NPs in Treating Your Patients
- Practice Brief: Measles: Recommendations for Assessment, Treatment and Prevention.
- Practice Brief: Strategies to Prevent Clostridium Difficile Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Update.
- Position Statement: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Patient Education Tools and Resources
Vaccinations
Meningococcal Vaccine Information Tent
To increase awareness of the MenB vaccine, AANP developed a colorful 7” x 5” trifold informational tent with a concise review of meningococcal disease, signs/symptoms, and prevention through MenACWY and MenBvaccines. This tent can be printed, folded, taped and placed in the waiting room or exam rooms where patients and parents of adolescents will read it to initiate questions and conversations about meningococcal disease prevention with their health care provider
Supported by an educational grant from Pfizer.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C HALO Patient Tool
Download, print and distribute this self-care guide to your patients after they are cured to give them easy to reference answers to common questions and tips for keeping their liver healthy long-term.
HALO concept courtesy of Southern California GI and Liver Centers, Coronado, CA.
External Resources
Conveniently Curated Information from Other Top Sources
There are many resources available for both patients and providers and we have listed some of them below for your convenience. Inclusion of these links does not imply AANP endorsement.
Ebola
- Evaluating Patients for Possible Ebola Virus Disease: Recommendations for Health Care Personnel and Health Officials.
- Ebola Virus.
- Signs and Symptoms.
- Early Recognition Is Critical.
- Algorithm for Evaluation of the Returned Traveler.
- EVD Information for Clinicians in U.S. Health Care Settings.
- Tightened Guidance for U.S. Health Care Workers on Personal Protective Equipment for Ebola – October 20, 2014.
- Sequence for Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Diagnosis.
- Treatment.
- Infographics and Illustrations.
Hepatitis C
- VA Management and Treatment of Hepatitis C Recommendations.
- CDC Recommendations for Hepatitis C Screening.
Measles
Vaccination
- Adolescent Vaccination: Provides resources and professional tools highlighting the importance of vaccination to protect U.S. adolescents from vaccine-preventable diseases and supporting a comprehensive approach to improving vaccination rates. Information is available for the general public, health care professionals and the media.
- Adult Vaccination: Provides information on the impact of infectious diseases on adults and vaccines available to provide protection. Resources include disease-specific background sheets and practice toolkits for health care professionals. Select materials are available in Spanish. Information is available for the general public, health care professionals and the media.
- Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition: Provides pediatric-focused information and resources on seasonal influenza and vaccination for consumers, healt care professionals and the media.
- Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) Express Weekly email that provides new and updated vaccine recommendations from the CDC and new vaccine licensures from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
- 2019 Immunization Schedules: The 2019 adult and adolescent immunization schedules are available online via the CDC. Additional resources for health care providers are also available, including vaccine safety, storage, administration and standards.