Editor's Note This study from the University of California, Los Angeles, finds that Blacks had the largest percentage increase in overdose mortality rates in 2020, overtaking the rates among Whites for the first time since 1999. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for…

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Editor's Note OR Manager recently reported on the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations on when masks should be worn by the public. According to the new guidelines, the CDC now recommends the general public wear masks only in communities with a "high" level of COVID-19, which…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, describes the development of a fatigue risk management tool that can be used by nurses to pursue balance between work demands and capacity to meet those demands. Interviews with 21 nurses identified four design goals for the…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on February 25, issued new recommendations on when masks should be worn by the public. Under the new guidelines: In communities with “low” or “medium” levels of COVID-19, masks are not recommended for the general public, which is now more…

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Editor's Note This study led by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds substantial changes in the healthcare workforce during years 2020 and 2021 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the findings: Healthcare employment levels fell from 22.2 million in 2019 to 21.1 million in 2020 (a 5.2% decline), and then…

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Editor's Note This study by Belgium researchers finds that healthcare workers’ (HCWs') fear of COVID-19 and reluctance to work significantly increased between the first phase of the study in May 2020 and the second phase in October 2020. Of 2,661 HCWs analyzed in phase 1 and 2,336 HCWs in phase…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Ascension Health Care, St Louis, finds that COVID-19 was associated with substantial increases in hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, which were largely attributed to COVID-19 infected patients. A total of 1,417,036 admissions in 69 US hospitals were analyzed before (703,556) and during (713,480) the…

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Editor's Note In this study from Switzerland, regular use of public transportation by healthcare workers (HCWs) was not found to affect the risk for acquiring COVID-19. Of 376 HCWs analyzed, 225 used public transportation. By group comparison, HCWs using public transportation did not acquire a significantly greater percentage of COVID-19…

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Editor's Note A USA Today/Ipsos Poll that was released on February 22 and was conducted between February 9 and February 16 found that almost 1 in 4 healthcare workers (HCWs) report they are likely to leave the healthcare field in the near future, Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The poll surveyed…

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Editor's Note In addition to education required to maintain licensure and certifications, each practitioner privileged through the medical staff process is expected to participate in hospital-sponsored continuing education, The Joint Commission says in a February 16 answer to a frequently asked question (FAQ) on accreditation requirements. The education is based…

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