For many health care professionals, compassion fatigue is considered a part of the job.1 Although different researchers use varying definitions of compassion fatigue, it is generally defined as distress associated with caring for patients who are suffering, resulting in exhaustion, depression, fear, anger, and detachment.1-3 The term compassion fatigue was first used in 1992 by Joinson, a nurse educator who defined it as nurses’ loss of the ability to nurture their patients due to intense workloads and complex patient needs.2 These nurses described feeling tired, depressed, angry, ineffective ..read more

The declining mental health of children and adolescents is a tremendous concern. In the United States, almost 20% of those age 3 to 17 have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, and suicidal behaviors among high school students increased by more than 40% from 2009 to 2019.1 Many children are subjected to one or more traumatic experiences that can have long-term adverse effects on their physical and mental health.2,3  School can have a major impact on children and adolescents’ mental health. School-based mental health promotion programs aim to support students’ menta ..read more

Parents of children with cancer are more likely to utilize mental health services relative to other parents, according to study findings published in the JAMA Network Open. Although it has been well-established that parents of children with cancer often have a high rate of comorbid psychiatric distress due to the difficulties involved in navigating pediatric cancer care, relatively little is known about mental health care utilization among parents of children with cancer. Therefore, investigators sought to characterize mental health service utilization among parents of children with cancer vs ..read more

Adolescents with unmedicated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who meet sleep guidelines have a lower risk for overweight and obesity (OW/OB) than those with short sleep duration, according to study findings published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Pediatric OW/OB has been established as a major public health issue, given its association with adverse long-term health outcomes. However, relatively little is known about the relationship between ADHD and OW/OB risk. To address this knowledge gap, investigators sought to characterize the association between ADHD and OW/OB st ..read more

HealthDay News — Higher olive oil intake is associated with a lower risk for dementia-related mortality in U.S. adults, according to a study published online May 6 in JAMA Network Open. Anne-Julie Tessier, Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined the association between olive oil intake and subsequent risk for dementia-related death, as well as the joint association with diet quality and substitution for other fats. The analysis included data from 92,383 participants in the Nurses’ Health Study (1990 to 2018) and Health Professionals Follow-U ..read more

HealthDay News — For hospitalized patients with Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) and dysphagia, those receiving thick liquids are less likely to be intubated but have no difference in hospital mortality compared with those receiving thin liquids, according to a study published online May 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Alexander Makhnevich, M.D., from Northwell in New Hyde Park, New York, and colleagues examined whether a diet of thick versus thin liquids is associated with improved outcomes for hospitalized patients with ADRD and dysphagia. Adults aged 65 years and older with ADRD ..read more

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to diazoxide choline for the treatment of adults and children ages 4 years and older with genetically confirmed Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) who have hyperphagia. The investigational product is an extended-release tablet formulation of diazoxide choline (DCCR), the crystalline salt of diazoxide. In patients with Prader-Willi syndrome, DCCR is expected to reduce hyperphagia through activation of the adenosine triphosphate–sensitive potassium channels in the hypothalamus. “ The granting of Breakthrough Therapy de ..read more

The use of thiopurines (eg, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, and 6-thioguanine) by pregnant individuals has been linked to intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Cases of ICP were reported in pregnant patients receiving azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine to treat inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease) or systemic lupus erythematosus. While not FDA-approved to treat these diseases, some guidelines suggest azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine may be appropriate on an individualized basis to manage certain immunologic ..read more

The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date refers to the deadline set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for reviewing a New Drug Application (NDA) or Biologics License Application (BLA) and making a final decision on marketing approval. The typical period for review is 10 months after the drug application has been accepted by the Agency. For drugs that have Priority Review, the review period is reduced to 6 months from the time of application acceptance. Elafibranor for Primary Biliary Cholangitis PDUFA date: June 10, 2024 The FDA is reviewing the New Drug Application for elafi ..read more

While older adults prescribed long-term opioids agreed with their primary care providers (PCPs) that opioids can be a beneficial last resort to improve quality of life, they often disagreed with their PCPs about stopping opioid prescriptions, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open. In terms of opioid prescribing for older adults, revised 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend discussing with patients every 3 months the benefits vs harms of long-term opioid therapy and following up with patients at least once a month when tapering opioids ..read more