Cambridge Health Alliance lays off five nurse educators
Editor's Note The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) held a press conference on June 5 to oppose Cambridge Health Alliance’s plans to lay off five nurse educators at two hospitals, the June 6 Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control reports. Last month, Cambridge Health Alliance notified employees of plans to lay…
Mercy Health forms own police department
Editor's Note Mercy Health, Springfield, Ohio, on June 1, announced that it had formed its own police department and purchased its own police vehicle to help ensure the safety and security of its staff, patients, and visitors. The new department will provide 24-hour police officer coverage, 7 days a week,…
Healthcare employment up in May
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in May to a seasonally adjusted 16,812,200 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on June 2. That’s up 52,400 since April. Hospital employment also was up by 19,600 jobs. The overall unemployment rate rose in May to 3.7%, for…
Gender disparity in mental health risks for frontline HCWs during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note This study led by Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, finds that female frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) were more than twice as likely as men to screen positive for chronic stress-related psychological symptoms (18.7% vs 8.8%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Symptoms included major depressive, generalized anxiety, or…
FDA: Class I recall of specific Abiomed Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist heart pumps
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 5, identified the recall by Abiomed of specific Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist heart pumps as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of fluid leaking from the purge sidearm of the pump. If the leak issue is…
The Joint Commission revises CAH requirements to align with CMS
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 31, announced that it has added several new and revised elements of performance (EPs) for critical access hospitals (CAHs) that address restraint and seclusion, the complaint process, and unified and integrated structures for CAHs that are part of a multihospital system, effective June…
Effect of union membership on nursing turnover, job satisfaction
Editor's Note This study, led by Lewis College of Business, Marshall University, South Charleston, West Virginia, examines the relationship between nursing unions and nurse turnover and job satisfaction. A total of 43,960 nurses from the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses were included in the analysis. About 16% were…
The Joint Commission updates requirements for addressing ethical issues
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 31, announced an update to the Leadership (LD) requirement addressing ethical issues, effective August 27. Element of Performance (EP) 1 of the standard LD.04.02.03—Ethical principles guide the [organization’s] business practices—now states: “The [organization] develops and implements a process that allows staff, [patients], and…
CMS eliminates HCW COVID-19 vaccination requirements
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on May 31, withdrew the COVID-19 healthcare worker (HCW) vaccination requirements, including removing the requirement for COVID-19 vaccination policies and procedures for HCWs, the May 31 AHAToday reports. The rule also eliminated long-term care facility COVID-19 testing requirements that required…
Mobilization associated with fewer postoperative complications, shorter hospital stays
Editor's Note In a recent study led by researchers at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, mobilization after elective surgery was found to be associated with fewer postoperative complications and shorter lengths of stay (LOS), and is an important component of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. This retrospective observational study…