Healthcare influencers have become a popular source of health information online, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Influencers use their online presence on social media platforms to not only educate and generate interest on healthcare topics, but also to combat misinformation. Social media is an ideal way for them to reach more people than they could on an average workday.

As people age, they may develop medical conditions that are problematic for their dental care. Therefore, it is critically important that dentists obtain, review, and update their patients’ health history at each visit. Dentists also should obtain complete medication lists from patients for all care, including routine oral healthcare.

Informed consent is a legal and ethical principle that supports disclosing important information to patients so they can understand proposed treatments and fully participate in their care. The basis of informed consent rests on the principle of autonomy, which recognizes the right of competent individuals to make decisions regarding their healthcare.

Marcy A. Metzgar

The United States is facing a maternity healthcare provider shortage. What may reverse this trend is a robust and more diverse workforce of midwives educated through professionally accredited midwifery education programs.¹

Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM

Mitigating violence in healthcare is a top concern for all types of settings, from small office practices to large health systems. An important strategy in the toolbox for violence prevention is training staff how to de-escalate aggressive, hostile, and violent patient behaviors. Yet, as patient behavior intensifies and edges closer to violence, de-escalation becomes more challenging and secondary to protecting other patients and staff members. Thus, a crucial aspect of de-escalation is assessing patients for the potential for aggression before it occurs.