New MRI scanner is reportedly 10 times more powerful than regular machines
Editor's Note An international team of researchers has unveiled a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner that is reportedly significantly more powerful than conventional MRI machines, a November 27 article published by Nature Methods reports. The new MRI is said to record up to 10 times with more detail than…
New California law expands workplace violence prevention measures
Editor's Note A new workplace violence law was enacted in California in September 2023 that requires all businesses to have a violence prevention plan in place by July 1, 2024, HealthLeaders November 7 reports. Employers already covered under the Workplace Violence Healthcare standard are exempted, as are law enforcement agencies…
Virtual sitting found to reduce nurse burnout in new study
Editor's Note In this study first published by the Western Journal of Nursing Research in August 2023, virtual sitting technology was found to reduce burnout among nurses, particularly those who are already feeling drained and less committed. The study was titled, โAn Experience Sampling Analysis of the Impact of Video…
Navigating the โtripledemicโ: Flu, RSV, and COVID-19 in the OR
The healthcare sector has begun grappling with a repeat challenge this fall and winter: the simultaneous surge of three significant respiratory diseasesโflu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 among both children and adults. When these diseases collide, they constitute what experts have termed a โtripledemic,โ which poses a significant strain…
Kaiser Permanente workers agree to new labor contract post-strike
Editor's Note Kaiser Permanente union workers have agreed to a new 4-year contract that includes 21% raises along with new minimum wages and provisions to improve staffing shortages, Chief Healthcare Executive November 10 reports.ย In October of this year, more than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers, including nurses and technicians,…
Disparity in core cancer services at hospitals serving Black, Hispanic patients
Editor's Note Hospitals that serve a high number of Black and Hispanic patients are much less likely to have advanced medical equipment and core services needed to provide effective cancer care. These research findings were published in JAMA Oncology on November 16.ย The researchers analyzed patient data from 4,373 hospitals,…
Senate appoints oncologist, cancer researcher as NIH director
Editor's Note The US Senate has appointed Monica Bertagnolli, MD, as the new director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agencyโs first permanent leader in nearly 2 years and the second woman to hold the post. She is expected to face significant scrutiny from lawmakers, Chief Healthcare Executive…
Concerted push for greater diversity in medical studies ongoing
Editor's Note Although Congress first required the National Institutes of Health to include more women and people of color in medical studies in 1993, progress has been slow until recently. Now, researchers are making a concerted effort to diversify medical studies, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) November 16 reports.ย According…
Nurses short-changed in healthcare philanthropy
Editor's Note According to a first-of-its-kind study from the American Nurses Foundation, nurses receive just one penny of every dollar donated to healthcare, despite being the largest group of healthcare professionals in the US, a November 15 press release from the foundation reports. Some findings include: Private donations to healthcare…
Researchers look for genetic drivers of postop pain
Editor's Note A new study that attempted to find genetic drivers of postoperative pain uncovered only two associated alleles, suggesting wider examination is needed. The findings were published in the American Society of Anesthesiologists journal Anesthesiology December 2023 issue. The researchers looked at 163 studies and evaluated 129 genes and…