Editor's Note This national survey study led by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, and Middlesex Community College, Middletown, Connecticut, finds that nearly half of US adults surveyed reported misrepresentation of and nonadherence to COVID-19 public health measures. Among the survey findings: Of 1,733…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on October 11 issued comments on a European study examining colonoscopies that was published October 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which looked at colonoscopies in Sweden, Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands, seemed to question the effectiveness of…
Editor’s Note A report published in Health Affairs on October 6 claimed that up to 30% of healthcare spending is used for administrative purposes, and more than half of that is not significantly contributing to health outcomes, Becker’s Hospital Review October 10 reports. In 2019, Health Affairs launched the Council…
Editor's Note This study by the Global Burden of Disease Long COVID Collaborators estimates that the proportion of patients with at least one of three long-COVID-19 symptoms (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, cognitive problems, or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after COVID-19 infection is 6.2%. Analyzing 54…
Editor's Note In response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) relaxation of recommendations for universal healthcare personnel masking, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) on October 3 strongly urged its 15,000 members to continue masking in patient care areas. Requiring masks for anyone…
Editor's Note Burnout in the healthcare workforce is a significant challenge hospitals and healthcare systems face, and a September 27 webinar hosted by US News and World Report tackled the many efforts hospital leaders are undertaking to address it. Among the various reasons cited as contributing to the problem—including rising…
Editor's Note This Swiss study finds that better OR ventilation properties, as assessed with a new ventilation index, are associated with lower rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) in orthopedic, spine, and cardiac procedures. Researchers calculated a ventilation index with higher values reflecting less turbulent air displacement instead of comparing…
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in September to a seasonally adjusted 16,515,600 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 7. That’s up 60,100 since August. Hospital employment also was up by 27,500 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for September was 3.5%, for a…
Editor’s Note A new research study, titled “Comparison of Quality Performance Measures for Patients Receiving In-Person vs Telemedicine Primary Care in a Large Integrated Health System” and published by JAMA Network on September 26, showed that telehealth performed better than in-person services in 11 out of 16 measurements for care,…
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on October 3 amended the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act declaration for smallpox medical countermeasures to expand the categories of providers authorized to administer vaccines and therapeutics against smallpox, monkeypox, and other orthopoxviruses during the declared emergency, Healthcare…
