FDA: Class I recall of certain SD BioSensor Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Tests
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 25, identified the recall by SD BioSensor, Inc, of certain Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Tests as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the liquid solution in the test kit may be contaminated with bacteria such as Enterococcus,…
Value assessment of a trauma hybrid OR
Editor's Note This study from the University of Florida Health, Gainesville, examines the complications, cost-utility, and value of a dedicated trauma-endovascular hybrid OR. A total of 292 trauma patients, who underwent immediate operative intervention at a Level I trauma center (106 before construction of a hybrid OR and 186 after…
SHEA: Strategies to prevent SSIs updated
Editor's Note The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has updated the Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Acute Care Hospitals, which was published in 2014. The update highlights practical recommendations designed to assist acute-care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. Among…
FDA: Class I recall of Draeger Medicalโs Seattle PAP Plus, breathing circuit/anesthesia kits
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 24, identified the recall by Draeger Medical of the Seattle PAP Plus as well as VentStar and other breathing circuit/anesthesia kits as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated after finding that glued connections may loosen before or…
Surgeon-scientists represent less than 2% of all investigators awarded NIH funding
Editor's Note A new study led by Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, finds that representation of surgeon-scientists among investigators awarded grant funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains at 2% over 25 years, despite surgical diseases comprising 30% of the global disease burden. This cross-sectional…
New EHR generative AI by Microsoft, Epic currently being piloted
Editor's Note On April 17, electronic health records (EHR) vendor Epic and Microsoft announced a partnership to train Azure OpenAI on a large collection of information so it can โasynchronously draft responses to patient messages for providers,โ Beckerโs Health IT May 25 reports. According to Becker's, there are four major…
Development of a definition for long COVID
Editor's Note This multi-center study, which is part of the National Institutes of Healthโs Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative and led by the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, was conducted to develop a definition of long COVID using self-reported symptoms of 9,764 participants (8,646 infected; 1,118 uninfected) at 85…
The Joint Commission seeking comments on proposed new infection control requirements for hospitals, critical access hospitals
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 24, announced that it is seeking comments on new infection control (IC) requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals on preparedness for high-consequence diseases or special pathogens. These new requirements will replace the current standard IC.01.06.01 on preparing for an influx of potentially…
Using human-AI collaboration to monitor PPE donning, doffing
Editor's Note This Australian study compares the accuracy of monitoring personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing between an artificial intelligent (AI) machine collaborating with a remote buddy support system and an onsite buddy. The researchers conducted a pilot simulation study with 30 procedural scenarios (15 donning and 15 doffing)…
The Joint Commission: Licensed independent practitioner term eliminated from AHC, OBS accreditation programs
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 24, announced that it was eliminating the term licensed independent practitioner from its Ambulatory Health Care and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs, beginning August 27. The revisions are consistent with terminology used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesโ Conditions for Coverage and…