Heightened focus on cybersecurity amid ransomware attacks, data breaches
Editor's Note Cybersecurity remains a top concern and potential hazard for patient data. In February, Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was attacked by a ransomware gang BlackCat, which has ties to Russia, Becker’s Health IT reports. The health system has since notified 627 individuals and will continue to…
Effectiveness of stress-reduction interventions on HCW stress
Editor's Note This updated review from the Netherlands examines the effect of individual-level stress management interventions on stress symptoms in healthcare workers (HCWs). Included in the analysis are 117 research studies with 11,119 HCW participants worldwide. The participants were randomly allocated to different interventions, and their stress levels were evaluated…
More hospitals create police forces to protect workers
Editor's Note Because of the rising incidence of violence in healthcare settings, nearly 40 states have laws that establish or strengthen penalties for assaults on healthcare workers, and 29 more have approved or are working on similar laws, the May 15 KFF Health News reports. Some laws would allow healthcare…
Five plead guilty in fraudulent nursing diploma scheme
Editor's Note Five of dozens of defendants charged in the Southern District of Florida for their alleged participation in an illegal licensing scheme for aspiring nurses have plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, according to a May 15 news release from the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida. All…
Nurse managers’ leadership linked to hospital-onset C diff
Editor's Note This study led by Olivia Jung, PhD, EmoryUniversity, Atlanta, and Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds an association between the work environment of nurses and hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile (C diff) infection. The analysis, which the authors say is the first to examine…
Problems persist with HHS emergency-preparedness goals
Editor's Note According to a May 14 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is continuing with the persistent, systemic problems that impaired its ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other public health crises, such as H1N1 influenza, Zika,…
XBB.1.16 grows to 14% of US COVID-19 cases
Editor's Note Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention find the emerging COVID-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16, dubbed Arcturus, is responsible for more than 14% of COVID-19 cases in the US over the past 2 weeks, up from nearly 7% in the prior 2 weeks, according to the May…
Mid-term postop outcomes in patients with, without COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, finds that COVID-19 is associated with decreased overall and complication-free survival, primarily in the early postoperative period. Of 153,741 surgical patients analyzed between March 2020 and 2021, 4,778 COVID-19-positive patients were matched…
Annual survey finds new grads hopeful about job market
Editor's Note Despite challenging economic times, many new college graduates say they feel optimistic about finding employment, according to an annual survey report from Monster. The “2023 State of the Graduate Report” shows that although 74% of respondents feel concerned about economic conditions, 88% are still confident they will receive…
HHS issues alert on cyber attacks against Veeam software
Editor's Note The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Centers on May 10 issued an alert saying that cyber attacks against Veeam Backup & Replication software are on the rise, the American Hospital Association reports. What makes the threat significant is that this software is…