Well hello to you too. Today’s newsletter is 680 words long, or a 2 minute read.

Think about it 💡

📊 Fun little data for y'all. According to a recent report from advisory firm Gibbins Advisors, Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings (rEoRgAnIzAtIoN) for healthcare companies in the U.S. were 84% higher in 2022 compared to 2021. The aggregate number of senior care and pharmaceutical companies constituted about half of the filings. Though, super duper news, only two hospital cases were filed in 2022, down from 10 in 2019. We now seem to be returning to pre-Covid case volumes. Yay.

🏠 The shortage of healthcare professionals is not the only crisis of concern. As the population ages and chronic diseases explode, caregivers are central to patient care. The pandemic has increased demand, naturally, and employment in the sector is expected to increase by 25% over the next decade. Only, the supply of home health aides is not meeting the growing demand. The percentage of all caregivers who left their jobs or were laid off in the U.S. was about 65% in 2021. More than 85% of home care agencies turned away patients in 2021 because of the shortage. The crisis within is silent, but also very real: between 40% and 70% of family caregivers suffer from clinical depression.

Strong distrust of IUDs on TikTok undermines birth control awareness 🚨

🥁 We have already established (here, and here), that Tiktok and healthcare do not always mix beautifully. After diabetes and burns, the platform's next casualty is none other than contraception.

👩‍⚕️ Planned Parenthood currently recommends the IUD (intrauterine device) as one of the best forms of birth control. However, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, influencers on TikTok have different views.

📊 Researchers noted a significant gap between what doctors advise and what people say on the platform. Using a web scraper, they analyzed the 100 most viewed TikToks tagged #IUDs. Among the videos analyzed, 37.8% had a negative tone, 24.4% made scientifically inaccurate statements, and 27.6% raised distrust of healthcare professionals.

💬 96.8% of the videos recounting patients’ experiences - which are also the ones generating the most views - had a negative tone, mostly bringing up pain and side effects of IUD insertion and removal.

@reddnea IT DIDN’T HURT #fyp #boostofhope #iud #birthcontrol #foryou

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Neat News 🗞️

💊 Amazon launched RxPass, a $5/month Prime add-on for all-you-need generic drugs covering 80 conditions. Neat.
💰 Posterity Health, the industry's first male fertility platform, raised $7.5 million. Super Neat.
🔮 AI predicts lung cancer risk six years later using a single CT scan. Ultra neat.

What the hellth? 🔬

⌚ Wearable devices are more than just fancy little gadgets for counting steps and calories. According to a new study, they could actually help detect and monitor patients suffering from sleep disorders, pain, and anxiety after a traumatic event.

🏥 The study followed more than 2,000 participants wearing Verily Life Sciences’ Study Watch who had been exposed to traumatic stress. Researchers found eight significant biomarkers for symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, pain, and sleep disturbance.

🩺 Although the study has some limitations, these biomarkers could be useful for initial screening to determine which individuals are expected to recover well and do not necessarily require a follow-up assessment.

Clean Content 🧼

⚖️ Marissa Moore and Brendan Keeler's godsent deep dive on key regulatory topics for 2023.
📺 Rik Renard (CareOps) chats with Dr. Darshak (CMO, Babylon) about the evolution from a 1:1 model of care to a 1:many model.
🎙️ Cool podcast alert. Alex Lebrun, CEO of Nabla, explains how machine learning creates engaging relationships with patients.

This is what you came for 🍑

🦠Hold on to your gut germs: research suggested that a diverse microbiome is apparently a terrific little device for a thriving sex life. And how do you diversify your microbiome, you ask? Ferment away. Turns out that fermented foods bolster libido-supportive microbial diversity. Good thing it's still the dead of winter, in maybe more ways than one. So don't skimp on grandma’s sauerkraut.

Ciao friends 👋

The Healthcare Hoagie 🥪

#15 Healthcare bankruptcies 💼