Editor's Note Delayed elective surgical procedures because of COVID-19 resulted in more emergency department (ED) visits and the need for urgent interventions for gallstone disease but not inguinal hernias, this Canadian study finds. Researchers identified 74,709 elective cholecystectomies and 60,038 elective inguinal hernia repairs. During COVID-19 first and second waves…

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Editor's Note Though new COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron BA.2 subvariant are dropping, Omicron’s more infectious subvariant BA2.12.1 is beginning to gain a foothold in the US, the May 10 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Omicron BA2.12.1 now accounts for nearly 43% of new cases as of May 7, compared…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 9 identified the recall by Mesa Biotech, Inc, of certain Accula SARS-CoV-2 Tests as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because certain lots of the PCR test have an increased risk of giving false positive results because…

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Editor's Note A peaceful nurses’ march protest, called United “Million” Nurses March and sponsored by Nurses Against Violence, is set to take place in Washington DC on May 12, according to HealthLeaders February 17. The protest is set to focus on two key issues plaguing the profession: workplace violence and…

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Editor's Note In this study from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, researchers identify distinct demographic subpopulations with diverging drinking trajectories during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 8,130 US adults were surveyed biweekly from March 2020 to January 2021 on their past-week alcohol…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 5 announced that it has limited the authorized use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 years of age and older for whom other COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate and to those who would…

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Editor's Note Rose O. Sherman, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, FAAN, emeritus professor at Florida Atlantic University, will be keynoting a session at the OR Manager Conference in Denver and doing a pre-conference workshop on perioperative recruitment and retention. In preparation for these sessions and to ensure that your biggest leadership challenges…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Baptist Health Lexington, Kentucky, describes both emotional and administrative challenges chief nursing officers (CNOs) in the US faced during the COVID-19 crisis. Interviews conducted with 9 CNOs revealed they: were frustrated with constant change were saddened by the volume of death felt…

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Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in April to a seasonally adjusted 16,240,800 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 6. That’s up 34,000 since March. Hospital employment also was up by 4,500 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for March was 3.6%, for a…

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Editor's Note According to JAMA Network May 3, two recent studies examined the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after COVID-19 vaccination; however, the statistical value of the US-based study was not significant and the absolute risk remains inconclusive. In the first study, JAMA explains, COVID-19 vaccination was associated…

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