Missouri latest state to introduce legislation to curb travel nursing rates
Editor's Note The state of Missouri is the most recent state—out of 11—to propose legislation and/or regulations to curb or cap “price gouging” on travel nursing from healthcare staffing agencies, USA Today March 16 reports. The proposed legislation out of Missouri would reportedly allow for felony charges to be brought…
Cluster of mycobacteria infections after total joints traced to OR nurse
Editor's Note This investigation by the Kentucky Department for Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of eight cases of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) infections in a Kentucky hospital after total joint replacement procedures found that the presence of a particular OR nurse was significantly associated with the…
ASA urges public to learn to recognize opioid overdose and how to use naloxone
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), on March 29, issued a news report urging the public to learn to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, now that the Food and Drug Administration has approved naloxone for sale over the counter. Naloxone, which is commonly sold as a…
Suicide risk screening tools: Clear instructions, staff training recommended for safety, quality
Editor's Note New safety considerations for using validated suicide risk screening tools related to implementation and training were released by The Joint Commission on March 27. When working with patients at risk of suicide, screening tools can help determine appropriate treatment options and whether further assessment is needed. However, it…
Telehealth care, MOUD during COVID-19 reduced risk for fatal drug overdoses
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that federal actions taken to expand telehealth use for Medicare patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and to facilitate provision of medications for OUD (MOUD) were associated…
CDC: One bivalent COVID-19 booster is sufficient for now
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on March 29, updated its COVID-19 vaccination guidelines to say that one dose of the bivalent booster is all that is recommended at this time, even for those who were last vaccinated more than 6 months ago. The CDC notes…
Daily step patterns linked to mortality
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Kyoto University, Japan, found that the number of days per week US adults took 8,000 steps or more was linked to a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality at 10 years. Of 3,101 study participants,…
UCLA School of Nursing receives grant to attract minorities to doctoral programs
Editor's Note The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Nursing, on March 20, announced that it has been selected as a recipient of the UC Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative. The initiative is designed to attract underrepresented minorities to doctoral programs with the long-term goal of developing…
WHO updates COVID-19 vaccination guidance
Editor's Note The World Health Organization, on March 28, announced the revision of it’s guidance for prioritizing the use of COVID-19 vaccines after the meeting of its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). The guidance was revised to reflect that much of the population has either been vaccinated…
Risk of adverse surgical outcomes in patients with recent COVID-19 infection
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Veteran Affairs Boston finds that recent COVID-19 infection was not associated with risk of postoperative outcomes, regardless of timing within the previous 60 days. A total of 29,093 patients who had surgery at 123 hospitals were included in the analysis. Of 15,553 surgical…