Editor's Note This study led by Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, finds that female frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) were more than twice as likely as men to screen positive for chronic stress-related psychological symptoms (18.7% vs 8.8%) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Symptoms included major depressive, generalized anxiety, or…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 5, identified the recall by Abiomed of specific Impella 5.5 with SmartAssist heart pumps as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of fluid leaking from the purge sidearm of the pump. If the leak issue is…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 31, announced that it has added several new and revised elements of performance (EPs) for critical access hospitals (CAHs) that address restraint and seclusion, the complaint process, and unified and integrated structures for CAHs that are part of a multihospital system, effective June…

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Editor's Note In a recent study led by researchers at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, mobilization after elective surgery was found to be associated with fewer postoperative complications and shorter lengths of stay (LOS), and is an important component of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. This retrospective observational study…

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Editor's Note The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has updated the Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Acute Care Hospitals, which was published in 2014. The update highlights practical recommendations designed to assist acute-care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. Among…

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Editor's Note This multi-center study, which is part of the National Institutes of Health’s Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative and led by the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, was conducted to develop a definition of long COVID using self-reported symptoms of 9,764 participants (8,646 infected; 1,118 uninfected) at 85…

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Editor's Note This Israeli study finds that antibody levels were associated with protection against infection with the COVID-19 Omicron variant in vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs). Participants included 2,310 HCWs who had received 3 or 4 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The odds of infection and substantial symptomatic disease caused…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on May 22, identified the recall by ICU Medical of replacement batteries for its Plum 360, Plum A+, and Plum A+3 infusions systems as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because a manufacturing defect substantially diminished how long the…

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Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that perioperative COVID-19 precautions did not significantly reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). The analysis included 29,904 patients who had colorectal, hysterectomy, hip, and knee prosthesis procedures at the Mayo Clinic’s multicenter institution between January 1, 2018 and December…

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Editor's Note Becker’s recently interviewed more than 40 male nurses about the advantages and disadvantages of being a man in nursing. Two points they all agreed on were that the opportunities and benefits offered by a career in nursing are not being marketed to men, and men are an untapped…

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