FDA proposes individual risk assessment for donating blood
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 27 announced that it is proposing to ease blood donation restrictions by focusing on behavior rather than gender and sexual identity. Under current rules, the FDA allows donations from gay and bisexual men if they havenโt had sex with another…
Hospital quality, neighborhood deprivation linked to postop mortality
Editor's Note This study led by researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that characteristics of patientsโ neighborhoods and hospitals where they received treatment were both associated with postoperative mortality. This analysis included 1,898,829 Medicare beneficiaries from all neighborhood types undergoing one of five common surgical procedures in…
State Boards of Nursing investigating fraudulent degrees
Editor's Note State Boards of Nursing are investigating those who allegedly bought fraudulent nursing degrees and diplomas as part of a widespread scheme to fast-track the process to take the National Council Licensure Examination, the January 27 Beckerโs Hospital Review reports. Twenty-five individuals have been charged by the Justice Department…
FDA: Addition to Class I recall of LivaNova LifeSPARC System Controller
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 27 posted an addition to the Class I recall by LivaNova (TandemLife) of its LifeSPARC System Controller. The addition to the recall provides information about a software update now available to address the previous software malfunction and recall. The System…
Benchmark Questionnaire on OR Operations Best PracticesโPart 2 Now Open
Editor's Note Part 2 of the Benchmark Questionnaire is now open. We ask that you take 10 minutes to participate in Part 2 of this survey to help highlight best OR practices for our readers. There is scarce information currently available about perioperative industry averages and OR operations best practices.…
Study: Unsafe medical devices gain FDA approval through loophole
Editor's Note A study done by investigators from Yale, Harvard, and the University of California-San Francisco, published on January 10 in JAMA, found that โmany medical devices subject to recall had received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval based, in part, on the productsโ similarities to earlier devices,โ Healthcare Purchasing…
Study: Procrastination harms mental, physical health
Editor's Note This study of Swedish university students finds that procrastination is associated with a range of subsequent adverse health outcomes. This analysis included data on 3,525 university students from 8 universities in the greater Stockholm area and Orebro. They were followed-up at 3 time points, and 16 self-reported health…
FDA: Class I recall of Datascope/Getinge Cardiosave Hybrid, Rescue IABPs
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 25 identified the recall by Datascope/Gettinge of its Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumps (IABPs) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk that blood may enter the pump through a damaged balloon…
Effect of telehealth on opioid use disorder treatment
Editor's Note This study by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that telehealth is a comparable alternative to in-person care of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). This cohort study analyzed data on 1,768 clinicians who treated 11,801 patients with OUD via telehealth visits during COVID-19 prepandemic (March 14,…
New telehealth certification from JCI
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 25 that its affiliate Joint Commission International (JCI) has started a new telehealth certification program. To become certified, organizations must demonstrate a culture of continuous improvement through standardized practices and processes while ensuring coordination, communication, and alignment when providing patient care via…