ASA, APSF update guidance for perioperative testing for COVID-19
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) on August 4 updated their guidance for perioperative testing for COVID-19 to say that all patients having anesthetics or surgical procedures with the potential to generate aerosols should have preoperative testing for COVID-19, regardless of their…
Low global trust in governments, HCWs influencing health information, vaccine attitudes
Editor's Note This new study by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health which drew on surveys of more than 149,000 people in 144 countries finds that trust in governments and healthcare workers is correlated with trust in health or medical advice from them and with more positive attitudes toward…
The Joint Commission seeking applications for Eisenberg Awards
Editor's Note The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum on August 11 announced that the application period for the 20th John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards is open now through September 30. The annual awards program recognizes major achievements to improve patient safety and healthcare quality in three…
Relationship between COVID-19 symptoms and length of illness among HCWs in metropolitan New York
Editor's Note In this retrospective cohort study, researchers from Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, found that healthcare workers (HCWs) with COVID-19 who were not hospitalized, still had prolonged illness. Of 1,698 HCWs--who were away from work because of COVID-19, who had a positive…
US COVID-19 cases top 36M, deaths near 618K
Editor's Note The number of COVID-19 cases in the US totaled 36,008,398 on August 10, and deaths reached 617,892, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. At the beginning of the week, the US recorded nearly 175,000 new COVID-19 cases and 645 deaths in 1 day.…
Preop COVID-19 isolation precautions linked to postop lung complications
Editor's Note This study by researchers with the University of Birmingham, England-led COVIDSurg-GlobalSurg Collaboratives (global partnerships of more than 15,000 surgeons) finds that patients who isolate before their surgical procedures to protect themselves from COVID-19 have a higher risk of postoperative pulmonary complications than those who don’t isolate. Researchers analyzed…
Healthcare employment up in July
Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in July to a seasonally adjusted 15,990,500 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on August 6. That’s up 36,800 since June. Hospital employment was up 18,300 jobs. The overall unemployment rate fell to 5.4%.
Study finds neutralizing antibodies remain high up to 13 months after COVID-19 infection
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, find that most COVID-19 patients have persistent antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus for more than a year after acute infection. The study also shows that patients with more severe disease had higher…
California is first state to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for HCWs
Editor's Note In an August 5 statement, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says healthcare workers (HCWs) must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have at least received their second dose by September 30, Fox 5 San Diego reports. This new order is different from last month’s order that…
Medicaid expansion reduces uninsured surgical hospitalizations, financial burden
Editor's Note This study from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, finds that Medicaid expansion was associated with a reduction in uninsured surgical hospitalizations. Researchers analyzed state-level data across 44 states and patient-level data across four states, and they compared hospitalizations in expansion and non-expansion states. Uninsured surgery patients…