Non-physician surgical first assistants (FAs) perform a variety of tasks—everything from closing an incision and inserting drains to harvesting veins for bypass procedures and preparing anterior cruciate ligament grafts. A significant benefit of FAs is shorter case times, which may help reduce patient morbidity and mortality and increase case volumes.…

Read More

The increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccines, along with proposed healthcare industry funding from the federal government, are reasons to feel hopeful about recovering from the pandemic. For people who are fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has green-lighted gathering with loved ones and resuming some activities that…

Read More

Personal health and well-being have become higher priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people who previously may have ignored preventive care or postponed procedures are taking better care of themselves. Some are reexamining life choices as a result of changes taking place over the past year. “Many of us accept…

Read More

Most high-performing ORs share something in common—an anesthesia group that is actively engaged in perioperative leadership, takes responsibility for organizational performance, and is fully invested in the success of the OR. Unfortunately, in many ORs, anesthesia providers focus narrowly on services and procedures, not the total performance of the surgery…

Read More

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) tend to operate in lean environments, a factor that can impact training and education, whether it’s a refresher for current employees or part of the onboarding process for new hires. Maintaining robust education programs during a global pandemic that has reduced in-person training and imposed restrictions…

Read More

Editor's Note The findings of this study from the University of Michigan Schools of Nursing and Medicine, Ann Arbor, suggest a significantly increased suicide risk for nurses in the US, compared to the general population, but not for physicians. This cohort study using data from 2007 to 2018 includes suicides…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on April 9, sent a letter to healthcare providers recommending they “transition away from crisis capacity conservation strategies,” including disinfection and reuse of N95 masks. Though the FDA believes there is an adequate supply of N95s now to facilitate this transition, the…

Read More

Editor's Note This study from the department of family and sports medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana, California, finds that a lack of physical activity was strongly associated with a greater risk of severe COVID-19 and death. This analysis compares outcomes in 48,440 adults diagnosed with COVID-19 between January and…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study from the University of Denver and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, respondents to two surveys agreed with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s prioritization framework for COVID-19 vaccination. Of 4,735 respondents (2,730 to a Gallup survey and 2,005 to a COVID Collaborative survey):…

Read More

Editor's Note A 12-month investigation by The Guardian and Kaiser Health News finds that more than 3,600 US healthcare workers (HCWs) died from COVID-19 during the pandemic’s first year, the April 8 Kaiser Health News reports. Key findings include: People of color accounted for two-thirds of deaths. Risk of death…

Read More