Six low-cost solutions for improving staff retention
Editor's Note Severe staffing shortages paired with high labor costs are among the most significant challenges faced by hospitals today, according to responses from hospital executives in an October 18 KaufmanHall survey, HealthLeaders October 31 reports. The survey, named the 2022 State of Healthcare Improvement Report, shows that nearly half…
Association of symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination with antibody response
Editor's Note This study by investigators in the Framingham Heart Study—an ongoing, prospective cohort study evaluating cardiovascular disease risk factors—finds that systemic symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination were associated with greater antibody response than local only or no symptoms. A total of 928 of 3,200 Framingham Heart Study participants completed this…
Healthcare employment up in October
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in October to a seasonally adjusted 16,577,200 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 4. That’s up 52,600 since September. Hospital employment also was up by 10,800 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for October rose to 3.7%, for…
Effect of kidney disease on COVID-19 outcomes
Editor's Note This study from Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, which was presented November 5 at the ASN [American Society of Nephrology] Kidney Week 2022 in Orlando, examines the effect of kidney disease and other conditions on COVID-19 outcomes during four waves of the pandemic in New York…
ECRI announces 2022 Safety Excellence Award winner
Editor's Note ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO, on November 7, named Monument Health of Rapid City, South Dakota, the winner of the 2022 Safety Excellence Award. The healthcare system set a strategic goal to improve culture of safety, increase incident and near-miss event reporting, and enrich…
Florida health system improved patient care by enacting SDOH changes to EHR
Editor's Note Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, via an initiative spearheaded by Jennifer Goldman, DO, chief of Memorial Primary Care, began including social determinants of health (SDOH) data in its electronic health record (EHR), “where doctors can see and act of them”—and that is improving patient care, HealthLeaders November…
Study: 79% of patients felt in control of their health with virtual care
Editor's Note According to a November 1 news release from Business Wire, a study done by Elevance Health shows that to 79% of patients surveyed, virtual primary care, or telehealth, has allowed them to take charge of their health, Becker’s Hospital Review November 1 reports. The study was conducted online…
Partial COVID-19 vaccination tied to decreased postop mortality, infection
Editor's Note This study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, finds that full and partial COVID-19 vaccination reduced postoperative complications. Researchers analyzed data from patients having surgery at 1,283 VA medical facilities nationwide. Of 87,073 surgical patients, 20% were fully vaccinated, 15% were partially vaccinated, and 65% were unvaccinated. Among…
The Joint Commission adds safety briefing to accreditation surveys
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 2 announced that it has added safety briefings to all accreditation surveys as well as certification and verification reviews, effective January 1, 2023. The informal, 5-minute briefing allows organizations to tell surveyors and reviewers about any potential safety concerns and how they should…
Complexity, challenges of diagnosis, management of long COVID
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington, Seattle, highlights the complexity of diagnosing long COVID and the challenges of caring for patients with this condition. Included in the analysis were 200 randomly sampled COVID-19 patients receiving care in…