Editor's Note The COVID-19 hospital admission rate in the US rose some 16% to more than 17,400 for the week ending August 26, and deaths increased by nearly 18% from the prior week, the September 7 New York Times reports. This marks the seventh consecutive week of increases. The Omicron…

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Editor's Note For Pain Awareness Month, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), on September 6, shared three tips for managing pain after surgery. Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS, a member of the ACS Patient Education Committee and vice chair of research for the department of surgery at UT…

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Editor's Note This study from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, finds that Medicare patients having common surgical procedures in health professional shortage area hospitals obtain safe care without evidence of higher expenditures. A total of 842,787 Medicare patients undergoing appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, or hernia repair between 2014 and 2018…

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Editor's Note In this study from the RAND Corporation, researchers examine how clinicians experienced their role as they cared for dying patients with COVID-19 and how these experiences impacted their lives as healthcare professionals. A total of 23 clinicians (11 physicians and 12 nurses) in critical care and emergency department…

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Editor's Note A new State of the World’s Nursing report will be produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2025, according to the September American Journal of Nursing. The International Council of Nurses and WHO will collaborate on the report, which will detail the impact of COVID-19 on the…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at the Orvis School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Reno, investigates the prevalence of nurse leader turnover intention and the contributing factors. Data from 50,273 participants in the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses were used in the analysis, with a final…

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Editor's Notes Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in August to a seasonally adjusted 17,014,300 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on September 1. That’s up 70,900 since July. Hospital employment also was up by 14,500 jobs. The overall unemployment rate rose in August to 3.8%, for…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on August 31, identified the recall by Getinge/Maquet/Datasocpe of its Cardiosave Hybrid and Rescue Intra-aortic Balloon Pumps (IABPs) as Class I, the most serious. The FDA posted four recalls for four separate reasons: Because they may overheat when the device’s internal temperature…

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Editor's Note Healthcare institutions that are grappling with persistent staffing shortages—exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic—are adopting unconventional strategies to attract and retain employees. Nurse leaders are piloting initiatives for both short- and long-term solutions to ensure the provision of quality patient care in the face of ongoing workforce challenges. Such…

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Editor's Note The Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), on August 29, announced a new collaboration with Google Cloud to bring generative artificial intelligence (AI) to its hospitals. Emergency department physicians at four HCA hospitals are already using Google’s AI technology and Augmedix to create accurate and timely medical notes from…

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