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):…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 14, issued Sentinel Event Alert 63: Optimizing smart infusion pump safety with DERS [dose error reduction software]. Though smart infusion pumps combine computer technology and drug libraries (stored in DERS) to limit the potential for dosing errors, errors still occur each year. Bypassing…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA), on April 9, identified the recall of Medtronic’s Valiant Navion Thoracic Stent Graft System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of stent fractures and endoleak concerns. The system is used to repair lesions of…

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Editor's Note Findings in this study, by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, show the need for new mask designs that reduce side and bottom droplet leakage and good ventilation systems that take into account the aerosolized particle leakage that occurs with breathing and normal conversation as a…

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Editor's Note In response to a May 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services final rule on interoperability and patient access, The Joint Commission has created new requirements that address patient admission, discharge, and transfer notifications. The new requirements, which apply to hospitals and critical access hospitals, address the electronic…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on April 6, launched the SAFER Dashboard for its accredited healthcare organizations. The dashboard, which is accessible on an organization’s Joint Commission Connect extranet site, is a data analytic tool that allows organizations to view their survey data and national comparison data in one place.…

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Editor's Note In a science brief based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) analysis of the latest available data, the agency says the risk of getting COVID-19 from surfaces “is generally considered to be low.” The CDC noted that: The risk of COVID-19 infection via surface transmission…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 2, updated its information for travelers to say people who are fully vaccinated can travel safely within the US. The update notes that fully vaccinated travelers do not have to be tested before or after travel unless required…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on March 24, identified the recall by Medtronic of its Affinity Pixie Oxygenator and Cardiotomy/Venous Reservoir with Balance Biosurface as Class I, the most serious. The recall was issued because of potentially elevated levels of harmful bacterial endotoxins. Use of a device…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 24, released its sentinel event statistics for 2020, which totaled 794. The top five most frequently reported events were: Falls: 170 Unintended retention of a foreign object: 106 Suicide: 81 Delay in treatment: 76 Wrong-site surgery: 68. The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality…

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