Lewis asked: Hi. My name is Tanya Lewis.
Josh Fishman: My name is Josh Fishman.it was of Scientific American Senior Health Editor.
Lewis: Welcome to the show officially known as COVID, Quickly.
Fishman: This is the first episode of our new show on COVID, but there is so much more.
Lewis: The podcast is also entering its third year. oh. And the 4th year of COVID. The disease is still here and it is still serious, but life is a little different for everyone right now. I want to unravel the mysteries of medical research in any way I can.
Fishman: We call the show “Your Health, Quickly.”
Lewis: We will continue to cover important updates about COVID. But this time, I will also introduce the latest research on other infectious diseases such as influenza.
Fishman: And non-communicable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, reproductive health, and mental health.
Lewis: It also discusses the latest science in preventive health, nutrition, and more. Enjoy the show.
Fishman: You should tell people what you are talking about today.
Lewis: have understood. So the first topic is still related to COVID, but we haven’t talked much about it.
Fishman: We will also discuss how telemedicine is changing the way care is delivered across medicine, such as cancer and diabetes.
Lewis: When the pandemic was at its worst, it made sense to focus on the risk of dying from the virus itself. We can now begin to address some of the effects the past few years have had on our well-being.
Fishman: That’s a good point. All the lockdowns and quarantines have certainly taken a toll on us mentally.
Lewis: they really have Add to that constant fear of getting sick, and I know you found it hard to avoid seeing friends and family during the worst of the COVID surge. . There is growing evidence that these mental strains are pervasive.
Fishman: tell me about it What do these data show?
Lewis: A nonprofit called the Kaiser Family Foundation is tracking mental health during the pandemic in an ongoing poll. By early 2021, data showed that as many as four in 10 of her adults had anxiety or depression symptoms, compared to her 1 in 10 pre-pandemic adults. rice field. That percentage is now closer to 3 in 10 for her, but many still feel depressed and anxious.
Fishman: That means 1 in 3 people I walk down the street have these problems. What are some of the ways this was done?
Lewis: People reported problems sleeping and eating, and increased alcohol and drug use exacerbated existing chronic health problems. To find out more, talk to the lead author of that report on mental health. I heard.
Nirmita Panchal: My name is Nirmata Panchal. Senior Policy Analyst at Kaiser Family Foundation.
Lewis: Can you tell us a little bit about some of the key findings?
Panchal: As you know, people have experienced many changes and turmoil during the pandemic. For some, isolation can increase. For others, it may be experiences such as unemployment or housing or food insecurity.
Lewis: Could you be a little more specific about the impact on children and young people in particular?
Panchal: Looking at the young adult population, they are already experiencing a lot of disruption during the pandemic in a time filled with many transitions. After transitioning to college, you will experience college closures in light of the pandemic. Perhaps they are experiencing job losses or reduced working hours. And what we knew leading up to the pandemic was that the majority of young people were not receiving mental health care.
Fishman: It’s really hard for that age group.
Lewis: Many of these children had to miss major milestones such as graduations and birthday parties.
Fishman: yes. I mean, at 16, it can be a big trough in life.
Lewis: When you’re that age, when you’re a teenager, it’s so important and I just want to share it with all my friends. There were record high levels of grief and suicidal ideation. And can you talk about why girls are particularly at risk?
Panchal: Some of the data we looked at during the pandemic found that for many adolescents, adverse experiences at home tended to be higher among young women compared to their male peers. , also found a more rapid increase in self-harm rates among young women.
Lewis: Are you wondering if you think these mental health effects are likely to last long term?
Panchal: yeah that’s a great question. As you know, we don’t have the answers to them yet, but we do know that many mental health conditions develop during adolescence. may limit the quality of
Lewis: One of the things Nirmita pointed out is that schools need to address this issue. Schools are like a natural place to connect children with mental health services.
Fishman: Of course, this would require the local school district or state to raise money for the school.
Lewis: We cannot expect our children to deal with all these stresses in isolation and without some sort of long-term repercussions.
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Fishman: There’s one change we’ve all made during the pandemic, and it looks like it will continue. Get a checkup with your doctor using your video or audio connection.
Lewis: Prior to COVID, telemedicine was extremely rare. Insurance companies did not reimburse medical professionals who did so, and various regulations required them to have a so-called face-to-face relationship.
Fishman: But suddenly in 2020, I had to keep my distance to avoid infecting others. As a result, these regulations have been eased and telemedicine has boomed. The boom has spread across medicine, including cancer treatment, endocrinology, and many other specialties.
Lewis: How much boom are you talking about?
Fishman: A pretty big one, Tanya. At Stanford Health Care in California, telemedicine surged from about 3% of pre-pandemic visits to about 70% during the pandemic. Many medical networks now say they are calm about 10-30% of all patient visits.
Lewis: But how can cancer treatment be delivered via video? No need to go in person for chemo or his x-rays?
Fishman: I see, that’s a great question. If you’re interested in that, you’re not alone. Our colleague, reporter Lydia Denworth, also wanted to know about this. So I asked her to stop by and explain. Lydia, you might want to start by telling everyone who you are.
Lydia Denworth: My name is Lydia Denworth. I am a science journalist and contributing editor to Scientific American magazine. I’m also currently a new columnist for the Science of Health column.
Fishman: thank you. Now, you’ve done telemedicine yourself.
Denworth: Hooray. And during the pandemic, like many others in this country, I had some sessions with my psychiatrist, but they had to be done by video through telemedicine rather than in person. I was worried about. As you know, the pandemic is starting to fade from people’s lives on how telehealth is actually being used.
Fishman: You can imagine talk therapy or psychotherapy helping telemedicine. But you’ve discovered something amazing in other medical specialties, haven’t you?
Denworth: Hooray. But even in things like cancer care, telemedicine is proving to be quite effective.
Fishman: How can I care for cancer patients via video link?
Denworth: You usually have to go to the doctor pretty often, but I’ve found it can be cut out like a big chunk of those appointments that don’t require anything like an injection for immunotherapy. , you can make those appointments virtually when you talk to or check in with your doctor, saving everyone time.
Fishman: Will it work like getting in the car to go to the doctor’s office or hospital?
Denworth: Absolutely. There is still a lot of medicine that is a conversation between patient and doctor. Some experts have found that talking to people at home has real benefits. Endocrinologists who treat diabetes can also look at people at home and get clues about what their home life is like, what their diet is like…at home and things how is progressing
Lewis: Lydia makes some good points. But how do these virtual visits compare to in-person visits for quality of care?
Fishman: In fact, it turns out they stack up pretty well, Tanya. Researchers reported in the journal JAMA Network Open last year that the virtual diagnosis matched the subsequent face-to-face diagnosis almost 90% of the time. Another study of more than 500,000 patients found that telemedicine had similar or better outcomes in 13 out of 16 primary care settings. Measures such as managing diabetes and registering for flu vaccinations.
Lewis: it’s pretty good. Another advantage, I think, is that the doctor is hours away in a rural area, but in effect, you save all the time and money you spend on commuting, and you don’t have to miss an entire day from work.
Fishman: Lydia discusses this further in her article on Telehealth for SciAm. This article will be available online in mid-March and in print in April.
Your Health Quickly is written and edited by Jeff DelViscio, Tulika Bose, and Kelso Harper.
Lewis: Shaw is one of them of Scientific American Science, quickly podcast. Quickly subscribe to Science wherever podcasts are available.
Fishman: And don’t forget to visit SciAm.com for the latest and in-depth health news.
Lewis: I will be back in 2 weeks. then talk to you
