Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on March 29, updated its COVID-19 vaccination guidelines to say that one dose of the bivalent booster is all that is recommended at this time, even for those who were last vaccinated more than 6 months ago. The CDC notes…

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Editor's Note The World Health Organization, on March 28, announced the revision of it’s guidance for prioritizing the use of COVID-19 vaccines after the meeting of its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). The guidance was revised to reflect that much of the population has either been vaccinated…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Veteran Affairs Boston finds that recent COVID-19 infection was not associated with risk of postoperative outcomes, regardless of timing within the previous 60 days. A total of 29,093 patients who had surgery at 123 hospitals were included in the analysis. Of 15,553 surgical…

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Editor's Note This prospective randomized trial by researchers at the University of California San Francisco  examines the health effects of coffee consumption on cardiac ectopy and arrhythmias, daily step counts, sleep minutes, and serum glucose levels. A total of 100 adults were fitted with a continuously recording electrocardiogram device, a…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking comments on proposed new requirements to address environmental sustainability for the hospital and critical access hospital programs. The aim of the proposed new Leadership (LD) Standard LD.05.01.01 is to help facilities minimize their carbon footprints as they…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), on March 23, announced the launch of a National Quality Verification Program for Vascular Care (Vascular-VP). Vascular-VP helps participating hospitals improve outcomes and deliver the best treatment for patients having inpatient vascular surgical and interventional procedures.…

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Editor's Note In this study led by California's Stanford Health Care, researchers found significant associations of surgical team composition and dynamics with operative efficiency for total hip (THAs) and total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), independent of case complexity. The analysis included 641 total joint arthroplasties (279 THAs and 362 TKAs) performed…

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Editor's Note Gen Z job seekers are increasingly shunning traditional hiring practices, and employers need to keep up, the March 20 Benefit News reports. Recent research finds that 73% of job-seekers aged 18 to 34 found their last job through social media, while at the same time, 75% of companies…

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Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show 1,706 COVID-19 deaths for the week ending March 15, the lowest number since March 25, 2020, according to the March 20 US News & World Report. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations also continue to drop, with weekly infections at their lowest…

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Editor's Note With the demand for travel nurses rising significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, some states are proposing measures to control what staffing agencies can charge healthcare facilities that use the temporary staff, the March 17 Kaiser Health News reports. Among 11 states proposing regulations: Missouri is calling for felony…

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