COVID-19 Ventilator Deaths High; A New World of Research

• Several studies reveal that the majority of patients with COVID-19 who require a ventilator — as many as 84% — will not survive, Jon Hamilton writes ~ Ventilators Are No Panacea for Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients (NPR)
• “While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any in history,” Matt Apuzzo and David D. Kirkpatrick write. The duo explore how coronavirus has altered the nature of scientific research ~ COVID-19 Changed How the World Does Science, Together (New York Times)
• A recent survey highlights the toll COVID-19 has taken on the emotional well-being of Americans, Joel Achenbach writes ~ Coronavirus Is Harming the Mental Health of Tens of Millions of People in U.S., New Poll Finds (Washington Post)
• “As we embrace new ways of communicating with patients, we must listen to not only their symptoms, but also to their fears,” writes Michelle M. Kittleson, MD, PhD, reflecting on how the virus is changing patient care ~ The Invisible Hand — Medical Care During the Pandemic (New England Journal of Medicine)
• How can medical students continue their education during a pandemic? Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, explores the challenges these students face ~ Medical Student Education in the Time of COVID-19 (JAMA)
• As coronavirus cases surge in the U.S., some cities are considering reopening safety net hospitals to create additional beds. But doing so is not so simple, Nina Feldman writes ~ Pandemic-Stricken Cities Have Empty Hospitals, But Reopening Them Is Difficult (Kaiser Health News/WHYY)
• G. Caleb Alexander, MD, MS, and colleagues highlight the difficulties of providing treatment for opioid use disorder ~ An Epidemic in the Midst of a Pandemic: Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19 (Annals of Internal Medicine)

Fred N. Pelzman, MD, of Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates and weekly blogger for MedPage Today, follows what’s going on in the world of primary care medicine. Pelzman’s Picks is a compilation of links to blogs, articles, tweets, journal studies, opinion pieces, and news briefs related to primary care that caught his eye.