Amanda Hempel
@amandahempel.bsky.social
Infectious Diseases & Internal Medicine | A focus on HIV, Medical Education, Global Health and Ice Cream
Finally we have an app with Canadian specific antibiotic guidelines...clinicians can access free and easy-to-use recommendations for common conditions actually targeted towards Canadian setting and resistance patterns.
Partnership between AMMI, PHAC and Firstline.
firstline.org/canada/
Partnership between AMMI, PHAC and Firstline.
firstline.org/canada/
Canadian Antibiotic Treatment Guidance
Localized Clinical Decisions Platform for ID and Antimicrobial Stewardship
firstline.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Finally we have an app with Canadian specific antibiotic guidelines...clinicians can access free and easy-to-use recommendations for common conditions actually targeted towards Canadian setting and resistance patterns.
Partnership between AMMI, PHAC and Firstline.
firstline.org/canada/
Partnership between AMMI, PHAC and Firstline.
firstline.org/canada/
Everyone thinks we need to reduce the ridiculous number of hospital cyber security modules, but personally I think we should allowed to delegate them to grandparents who fall for a phishing scheme at least once a month.
October 22, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Everyone thinks we need to reduce the ridiculous number of hospital cyber security modules, but personally I think we should allowed to delegate them to grandparents who fall for a phishing scheme at least once a month.
The most frustrating part of healthcare is that while we create incredibly advanced treatments, we never invest in infrastructure to effectively deliver care.
We can use lasers, robots and brain implants to treat you, but your family doc needs to use Google, fax and a prayer to refer you there.
We can use lasers, robots and brain implants to treat you, but your family doc needs to use Google, fax and a prayer to refer you there.
June 18, 2025 at 4:27 PM
The most frustrating part of healthcare is that while we create incredibly advanced treatments, we never invest in infrastructure to effectively deliver care.
We can use lasers, robots and brain implants to treat you, but your family doc needs to use Google, fax and a prayer to refer you there.
We can use lasers, robots and brain implants to treat you, but your family doc needs to use Google, fax and a prayer to refer you there.
If you think your patient has pulmonary edema but are giving them Piptazo "just in case", just remember it's like turning on three faucets in an already overflowing sink.
May 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM
If you think your patient has pulmonary edema but are giving them Piptazo "just in case", just remember it's like turning on three faucets in an already overflowing sink.
First experience of another physician trying to refute my specialist recommendation based on something they looked up on OpenEvidence...because they didn't realize they didn't give enough context to properly answer the question.
AI can be a useful tool but it remains totally dependent on the user
AI can be a useful tool but it remains totally dependent on the user
May 16, 2025 at 3:15 PM
First experience of another physician trying to refute my specialist recommendation based on something they looked up on OpenEvidence...because they didn't realize they didn't give enough context to properly answer the question.
AI can be a useful tool but it remains totally dependent on the user
AI can be a useful tool but it remains totally dependent on the user
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
It is a little weird to me countries aren’t more aggressively, formally trying to take advantage of the U.S. science brain drain. Once in a lifetime opportunity to buy low on Non-Dumbass Americans with PhDs who just wanna look into microscopes and quietly cure ass cancer as our country eats shit.
May 4, 2025 at 8:54 PM
It is a little weird to me countries aren’t more aggressively, formally trying to take advantage of the U.S. science brain drain. Once in a lifetime opportunity to buy low on Non-Dumbass Americans with PhDs who just wanna look into microscopes and quietly cure ass cancer as our country eats shit.
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
#IDSky You may have seen this declaration by the editors of some of our leading ID journals. It is a strong and important statement of principal. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Scientific Integrity Under Threat: The Role of the IDSA, PIDS, and SHEA Journals in an Evolving Political Landscape
The landscape of scientific publishing, education, and healthcare research is facing unprecedented challenges as political decisions increasingly encroach
academic.oup.com
May 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM
#IDSky You may have seen this declaration by the editors of some of our leading ID journals. It is a strong and important statement of principal. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
A second child, an 8 yo girl, has died of measles in Texas. Some have asked "could this actually be RFK Jr's or Trump's fault? They've barely been in charge. Vaccination has been falling since before".
It's a valid question, with a clear answer.
Yes. They have ignored the standard of care
1/
It's a valid question, with a clear answer.
Yes. They have ignored the standard of care
1/
A Second Child Dies of Measles in Texas
It is the second confirmed measles death in the U.S. in a decade. If the outbreak continues at the current pace, the nation may lose its “elimination” status.
www.nytimes.com
April 6, 2025 at 2:37 PM
A second child, an 8 yo girl, has died of measles in Texas. Some have asked "could this actually be RFK Jr's or Trump's fault? They've barely been in charge. Vaccination has been falling since before".
It's a valid question, with a clear answer.
Yes. They have ignored the standard of care
1/
It's a valid question, with a clear answer.
Yes. They have ignored the standard of care
1/
"No signs of infection, two weeks keflex given for anti-pruritis" 🫠
You know sometimes it really is the little things that hurt in ID
You know sometimes it really is the little things that hurt in ID
March 31, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"No signs of infection, two weeks keflex given for anti-pruritis" 🫠
You know sometimes it really is the little things that hurt in ID
You know sometimes it really is the little things that hurt in ID
No one warns you when you agree to work on random case reports in medical school that you will spend the rest of your life declining requests to peer review in a field you no longer have anything to do with.
February 26, 2025 at 12:42 PM
No one warns you when you agree to work on random case reports in medical school that you will spend the rest of your life declining requests to peer review in a field you no longer have anything to do with.
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
Still get asked about Paxlovid for covid at times. Most pts don’t need it especially post-vaccination. EPIC-SR trial showed no significant benefit in reducing hospitalizations or deaths. With lower covid morbidity & immunity from vaccines & different strains, Paxlovid offers little to no benefit☹️ 1/
February 21, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Still get asked about Paxlovid for covid at times. Most pts don’t need it especially post-vaccination. EPIC-SR trial showed no significant benefit in reducing hospitalizations or deaths. With lower covid morbidity & immunity from vaccines & different strains, Paxlovid offers little to no benefit☹️ 1/
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
To our American friends who may now be struggling to find health information on US websites: Please check out the Public Health Agency of Canada's website for helpful resources, updated dashboards & practical health tips.
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
canada.ca/en/public-he...
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
canada.ca/en/public-he...
February 1, 2025 at 12:06 PM
To our American friends who may now be struggling to find health information on US websites: Please check out the Public Health Agency of Canada's website for helpful resources, updated dashboards & practical health tips.
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
canada.ca/en/public-he...
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
canada.ca/en/public-he...
@idsky.bsky.social How do we boost the profile of ID amongst the public to understand what we really do?
Most people I speak to think we just deal with epidemics. What are places doing to put a united face of ID expertise out to the public?
Most people I speak to think we just deal with epidemics. What are places doing to put a united face of ID expertise out to the public?
February 20, 2025 at 9:02 PM
@idsky.bsky.social How do we boost the profile of ID amongst the public to understand what we really do?
Most people I speak to think we just deal with epidemics. What are places doing to put a united face of ID expertise out to the public?
Most people I speak to think we just deal with epidemics. What are places doing to put a united face of ID expertise out to the public?
Interviewing medicine vs surgery residents and on thing I've unexpectedly come to realize that learners have a better experience/attitude, not when you tell them how great they are all the time, but when you tell them it's normal to start out incompetent.
#meded
#meded
January 14, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Interviewing medicine vs surgery residents and on thing I've unexpectedly come to realize that learners have a better experience/attitude, not when you tell them how great they are all the time, but when you tell them it's normal to start out incompetent.
#meded
#meded
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
“good morning! i was curious about the reason for the switch from cefepime to mero?”
“he’s sick!”
got it! is he sick with:
- MDROs or organisms harboring ESBL or other beta-lactamases?
- anaerobes?
bc if not, that change is not meaningful and falsely allays your anxiety for an etiology!
“he’s sick!”
got it! is he sick with:
- MDROs or organisms harboring ESBL or other beta-lactamases?
- anaerobes?
bc if not, that change is not meaningful and falsely allays your anxiety for an etiology!
December 24, 2024 at 2:10 PM
“good morning! i was curious about the reason for the switch from cefepime to mero?”
“he’s sick!”
got it! is he sick with:
- MDROs or organisms harboring ESBL or other beta-lactamases?
- anaerobes?
bc if not, that change is not meaningful and falsely allays your anxiety for an etiology!
“he’s sick!”
got it! is he sick with:
- MDROs or organisms harboring ESBL or other beta-lactamases?
- anaerobes?
bc if not, that change is not meaningful and falsely allays your anxiety for an etiology!
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
Two deaths from histoplasmosis in New York linked to bat feces used as #cannabis fertilizer. One patient had concurrent Strep pneumo bacteremia for which he was being treated.
#MedSky #IDSky #MedEd
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/n...
#MedSky #IDSky #MedEd
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/n...
2 Deaths in New York Linked to Bat Feces Used as Cannabis Fertilizer
Two men in Rochester, N.Y., died after being infected with a rare fungus found in bat feces, which is sometimes used as fertilizer, researchers wrote in a medical journal.
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2024 at 5:52 AM
Two deaths from histoplasmosis in New York linked to bat feces used as #cannabis fertilizer. One patient had concurrent Strep pneumo bacteremia for which he was being treated.
#MedSky #IDSky #MedEd
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/n...
#MedSky #IDSky #MedEd
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/n...
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
Wild report of a neurocysticercosis school outbreak in Belgium:
"When patient 8 was invited for additional history taking, his father recounted pulling a 1 m-long, ribbon-like worm from his son's anus".
tinyurl.com/5n83kcnf By Vanden Driessche et al.
#IDSky #MedSky
"When patient 8 was invited for additional history taking, his father recounted pulling a 1 m-long, ribbon-like worm from his son's anus".
tinyurl.com/5n83kcnf By Vanden Driessche et al.
#IDSky #MedSky
December 13, 2024 at 5:11 PM
Wild report of a neurocysticercosis school outbreak in Belgium:
"When patient 8 was invited for additional history taking, his father recounted pulling a 1 m-long, ribbon-like worm from his son's anus".
tinyurl.com/5n83kcnf By Vanden Driessche et al.
#IDSky #MedSky
"When patient 8 was invited for additional history taking, his father recounted pulling a 1 m-long, ribbon-like worm from his son's anus".
tinyurl.com/5n83kcnf By Vanden Driessche et al.
#IDSky #MedSky
Instead of 2 step system that forces people to get a urinalysis before a urine culture, we should have a system that makes you to explain with a straight face to an ID doctor why you want a urine culture
December 10, 2024 at 9:59 PM
Instead of 2 step system that forces people to get a urinalysis before a urine culture, we should have a system that makes you to explain with a straight face to an ID doctor why you want a urine culture
The more I study the use of EPAs in Canada, the more I realize people just don't know what they are. We haven't invested so much in explaining the procedures to faculty and learners that we forgot to explain the purpose, and then are surprised when they are implemented poorly.
November 28, 2024 at 8:00 PM
The more I study the use of EPAs in Canada, the more I realize people just don't know what they are. We haven't invested so much in explaining the procedures to faculty and learners that we forgot to explain the purpose, and then are surprised when they are implemented poorly.
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
🆕️⚡️⚡️ #CIDJournal
Choosing Wisely: Effectiveness and Safety of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Close Contacts of Invasive Group A Streptococci Infection
No difference in infection rates between those who received and those who did not receive antibiotic #idsky #medsky
academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Choosing Wisely: Effectiveness and Safety of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Close Contacts of Invasive Group A Streptococci Infection
No difference in infection rates between those who received and those who did not receive antibiotic #idsky #medsky
academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Choosing Wisely: Effectiveness and Safety of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Close Contacts of Invasive Group A Streptococci Infection
Abstract. Antibiotic prophylaxis is often recommended for close contacts of index cases of invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections. Using MarketScan dat
academic.oup.com
November 26, 2024 at 2:19 PM
🆕️⚡️⚡️ #CIDJournal
Choosing Wisely: Effectiveness and Safety of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Close Contacts of Invasive Group A Streptococci Infection
No difference in infection rates between those who received and those who did not receive antibiotic #idsky #medsky
academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Choosing Wisely: Effectiveness and Safety of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Close Contacts of Invasive Group A Streptococci Infection
No difference in infection rates between those who received and those who did not receive antibiotic #idsky #medsky
academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
1st travel related case of clade 1b mpox detected in Canada.
(Note the large global outbreak in 2022 was clade 2 mpox).
Link: tinyurl.com/jcyff8eh #IDSky #MedSky
(Note the large global outbreak in 2022 was clade 2 mpox).
Link: tinyurl.com/jcyff8eh #IDSky #MedSky
November 23, 2024 at 12:52 AM
1st travel related case of clade 1b mpox detected in Canada.
(Note the large global outbreak in 2022 was clade 2 mpox).
Link: tinyurl.com/jcyff8eh #IDSky #MedSky
(Note the large global outbreak in 2022 was clade 2 mpox).
Link: tinyurl.com/jcyff8eh #IDSky #MedSky
Reposted by Amanda Hempel
It truly boggles my mind that "tropical medicine" conferences continue to be hosted, year after year, in visa-hostile, high income countries
I really hope this field wakes up and reflects on who the real experts in tropical diseases are and why they need to lead
I really hope this field wakes up and reflects on who the real experts in tropical diseases are and why they need to lead
November 20, 2024 at 6:36 PM
It truly boggles my mind that "tropical medicine" conferences continue to be hosted, year after year, in visa-hostile, high income countries
I really hope this field wakes up and reflects on who the real experts in tropical diseases are and why they need to lead
I really hope this field wakes up and reflects on who the real experts in tropical diseases are and why they need to lead