Short night-time sleep linked to peripheral artery disease
Editor's Note This study from Sweden finds that sleeping less than 5 hours a night is associated with an increased likelihood of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), compared with sleeping 7 to 8 hours. The study included more than 650,000 participants and was conducted in two parts. The first analyzed…
FDA updates reports of squamous cell carcinoma in capsule around breast implants
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on March 8, issued an update on reports of squamous cell carcinoma in the scar tissue (capsule) that forms around breast implantsโboth saline and silicone as well as textured and smooth. Previously, on September 8, 2022, the FDA informed the public of…
HAIs in VA facilities during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study by researchers at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Washington, DC, finds that the COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on healthcare associated infections (HAIs) of various types in VA facilities. A total of 128 acute-care and 132 long-term care VA facilities were included in…
The Joint Commission: Refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports available for stroke centers
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 15, announced that refreshed Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are available for primary (PSCs) and comprehensive stroke centers (CSCs) to provide updated performance measurement data on quality measures selected for advanced certification programs. The reports contain data through the third quarter of 2022. Dashboards…
Study: Redefining multimorbidity in older surgical patients may improve clinical decision-making
Editor's Note In this study, led by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, researchers developed and validated better surgical specialty-specific multimorbidity definitions based on distinct characteristics of older inpatients undergoing general, orthopedic, or vascular surgery. The researchers used 2016 to 2017 Medicare administrative claims data on patients…
Gen Z most likely to leave a toxic workplace
Editor's Note A recent survey by online platform The Muse finds that Generation Z workers are the most likely to leave a job because of a toxic workplace, even though they have spent the least amount of time in the workplace, the March 14 Benefit News reports. The survey showed…
The Joint Commission, Kaiser Permanente accepting applications for Tyson Award
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente on March 15 announced that they are now accepting applications for the 2023 Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. The award, now in its 3rd year, recognizes a healthcare organization for an intervention that led to…
Promising AI applications in healthcare: Chat GPT-4, natural language processing
Editor's Note Chat GPT-4, the latest version of an artificially intelligent chatbot, shows promising applications in healthcare, as reported by The New York Times on March 14. With greater accuracy and descriptive abilities, the chatbot was recently tested by Anil Gehi, MD, associate professor of medicine and cardiologist at the…
ECRI: Pediatric mental health crisis tops patient safety concerns
Editor's Note ECRI, on March 13, released its annual Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns, which identifies potential sources of danger for patients and healthcare staff. ECRI also provides detailed steps that organizations can take to prevent adverse incidents. Many of the concerns on the list are exacerbated by ongoing staffing…
Association of COVID-19 containment policies with childrenโs mental health
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian, New York City, and the University of California, Berkeley, finds that family financial disruptions caused by COVID-19 containment policies worsened childrenโs mental health. This analysis included a nationwide cohort of 6,030 US children aged 10 to…