Editorial: Nurses prepare for tumultuous election
I was fresh out of the OR when I received a formal job offer from OR Manager. Although still hazy from an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy, I knew I would accept, reasoning the universe must be trying to tell me something. I also had no doubts about the other, very different…
Study: Hospital surfaces ridden with bacteria despite disinfection protocols
Editor's Note: Adherence to routine disinfection procedures may not be enough to prevent potentially harmful bacterial contamination of high-touch hospital surfaces, according to findings published January 10 in the American Journal of Infection Control. Manikins, bed rails, and workstations-on-wheels were the most contaminated surfaces. The study involved sampling and culturing…
Biorobotic heart shows promise for research, surgical training
Editor's Note: Surgeons successfully tested three fixes for a leaky heart valve on a biological pig heart fitted with a silicone robotic pump, HealthDay reported on January 11. According to the article, the biorobotic heart offers significant advantages over existing heart simulators. These include a longer shelf life, greater ability…
Sex differences contribute to anesthesia resistance in women
Editor's Note: Due to sex hormones, “the female brain is more resistant to the hypnotic effects of volatile anesthetics,” concludes a study published January 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. General anesthetics work in part by modulating the activity of hypothalamic circuits, which regulate sleep and…
Metabolic conditions increase risk of kidney graft function deterioration
Editor's Note: A recent study reveals individuals with obesity or metabolic disorder could have a higher risk of experiencing graft function deterioration (GFD), while individuals with metabolically healthy overweight or obesity (MHO) had an elevated risk. Results were published December 27 in JAMA Network Open. The cohort study examined 1260 adult…
Nurse practitioner tops list of best jobs
Editor's Note: Nurse practitioners (NPs) have the best jobs not only in the US healthcare industry, but across all others as well, according to rankings released January 9 by US News & World Report. Divided into 17 categories, the Best Jobs rankings are designed to help job seekers make informed…
Researchers create repository of waveform and health data to drive AI innovation
Editor's Note: Researchers from UCLA and UC Irvine have created the first comprehensive online repository of physiological waveform and health record data from surgeries which is intended to serve as a resource for training and testing AI algorithms. The findings were published in JAMIA Open on October 17. In development…
Nurse burnout may contribute to increased hospitalizations for older patients
Editor's Note: Recent data show a direct correlation between nurse practitioner (NP) burnout and patients– particularly older adults with chronic diseases – utilizing the hospital and emergency department. Sage Journals published the findings on December 25. In 2018 and 2019, researchers collected survey data related to burnout from 1,244 primary…
AI-powered documentation tool undergoes successful pilot run
Editor's Note: Initial testing of an AI-driven documentation tool showed great promise in reducing administrative burdens on primary care clinicians at Atrium Health, according to a January 9 report in Chief Healthcare Executive. The health system is reportedly the first to widely test the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot, which records…
WHO urges cautious approach to generative AI healthcare applications
Editor's Note: The World Health Organization (WHO) has released recommendations around the ethics and guidance of artificial intelligence (AI)-based large language models (LLMs) in healthcare applications. In a January 18 announcement, the organization recognized that AI LLMs, with their ability to analyze and interpret data, have a wide range of…