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 Services’ Conditions for Coverage and…
[Free Webinar] Achieving Operational Excellence through Culture Transformation: Gundersen Health's Journey with Predictive Analytics and OR Utilization
Register now by completing the form below. After completing a post-webinar quiz, you will earn 1 CE. Abstract: Amid staffing challenges faced throughout the health system in the first half of 2022, Gundersen’s perioperative department further experienced capacity constraints and lacked access to real-time visibility into key data to make…
[Free Webinar] Need More Time? A Scheduler’s Guide to Surgeon Satisfaction
Register now by completing the form below. After completing a post-webinar quiz, you will earn 1 CE. When you optimize the process for scheduling surgical cases, the OR runs more efficiently, surgeons can practice at the top of their license and the OR can accommodate more cases, allowing patients to…
Projected growth of nursing, OR-related occupations 2021-2031
Editor's Note According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percent of employment growth from 2021 and projected to 2031 for nursing and operating room-related occupations include: Nurse practitioners—45.7% Physician assistants—27.6% Nurse anesthetists—11.8% Nurse midwives—7.5% Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses—6.3% Registered nurses—6.2% Surgical technologists—5.9% Nursing assistants—4.7 Surgeons—3.4% Anesthesiologists—1.1%.
Factors linked to protection from Omicron in vaccinated HCWs
Editor's Note This Israeli study finds that antibody levels were associated with protection against infection with the COVID-19 Omicron variant in vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs). Participants included 2,310 HCWs who had received 3 or 4 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The odds of infection and substantial symptomatic disease caused…
WHO launches International Pathogen Surveillance Network
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, on May 20, launched the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) to prevent and detect infectious disease threats before they become epidemics or pandemics. The network provides a platform for helping countries and regions improve systems for collecting and analyzing samples,…
New borescope training model improves SPD personnel knowledge, complex skills
Editor's Note This pilot study by epidemiologist Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and colleagues finds that a new borescope training model improves sterile processing department (SPD) personnel mastery and retention of complex skills. A total of nine certified SPD personnel were involved in the study. Training focused on borescope visual inspection…
Healthcare is second highest industry attracting new grads
Editor's Note The healthcare industry is the second highest attracting new graduates with bachelor’s degrees, according to the new 2023 Linkedin’s Guide to Kickstarting Your Career, the May 22 Linkedin News reports. The top five industries new graduates are considering, include: Professional services—software engineer, accountant, legal assistant Healthcare—registered nurse, medical…