Older people have better mental health, life satisfaction than 30 years ago
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Finland finds that depressive symptoms in 75- and 80-year-olds have decreased, and they are more satisfied with their lives overall than those at the same age 30 years ago. Two independent cohorts of Finnish men and women aged 75 and 80 were analyzed…
HCA investing more than $300 M to support education, training of nurses
Editor's Note HCA Healthcare, Nashville, Tennessee, on May 8, announced that it is investing more than $300 million to support the education and training of nurses, including expanding the Louisville, Kentucky-based Galen College of Nursing and opening a new HCA Healthcare Centers for Clinical Advancement. Since joining HCA Healthcare in…
Healthcare employment up in April
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in April to a seasonally adjusted 16,752,600 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 5. That’s up 39,600 since March. Hospital employment also was up by 6,600 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for April was 3.4%, for a…
AACN: Nursing school enrollment down 1.4%
Editor's Note For the first time in 20 years, enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs dropped 1.4% last year, according to a May 2 report on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN’s) annual survey of nursing schools. There also were declines in master’s and PhD programs, and 78,000…
ECRI: Guthrie Clinic wins 2023 Health Technology Excellence Award
Editor's Note On May 4, ECRI announced that Guthrie Clinic, Sayre, Pennsylvania, is the winner of its 2023 Health Technology Excellence Award. The annual award honors an organization that implements an exceptional initiative to improve patient safety, reduce costs, and facilitate better strategic management of health technology. Guthrie Clinic won…
NURSES MONTH FLASH SALE: OR Manager Conference
Happy National Nurses Month! As a thank you for making a difference in the lives of patients each day, OR Manager Conference is proud to offer a spectacular discount to attend the 2023 conference, taking place September 18-20, 2023, at Music City Center in Nashville, TN. Promo code NURSESMONTH will…
Five tips to preparing for emergency outpatient surgery
Editor's Note The Joint Commission’s Ambulatory Buzz on April 24 published five precautionary tips for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to implement in order to “respond quickly and effectively” to emergencies during outpatient surgery. They are: Establish a culture of safety. Prior to a surgical procedure, conduct a comprehensive physical examination…
International recruitment won’t solve US nursing shortage
Editor's Note In this paper, published in Health Affairs on May 4, Tony Yang, ScD, LLM, MPH, endowed professor in health policy at the George Washington School of Nursing, and his coauthors argue that a more comprehensive approach than recruiting internationally educated nurses is needed to address the US nursing…
The Joint Commission announces new Health Care Equity Certification Resource Center
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 3, announced the launch of its new Health Care Equity Certification Resource Center, which provides practical strategies for meeting the new certification program’s standards and elements of performance. Resources, such as tools, templates, and guides, are organized in the center by certification domains…
SHEA: New SSI guidance recommends antibiotics be discontinued after incision is closed
Editor's Note This update to the 2014 "Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" recommends that antibiotics be discontinued after a patient’s incision has been closed in the OR, even if drains are present. The expert panel members writing the update add that continuing antibiotics after closure…