Editor's Note The American College Surgeons (ACS) on September 28 announced that the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 2260 that requires the installation of trauma bleeding control kits in newly constructed public and private buildings throughout the state. After the legislation was passed, the ACS State Affairs team worked…

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Editor's Note Eisai, the Japanese drug maker, said on Tuesday September 27, that its experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease helped slow cognitive decline to those experiencing early stages of the illness. In the phase 3 clinical trials, the drug, called lecanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 27% after 18 months, the…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researcher Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that the Safe Staffing for Quality Act under consideration by the New York state assembly would save lives, shorten hospital stays, reduce readmissions, and lower costs.…

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Electronic health records (EHRs) can be a force for good, promoting patient safety, but they also often have multiple pain points. OR leaders can take steps to ease those pain points. Part 1 of this two-part series provided an overview of EHR challenges and how managers can work with staff…

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A lot has happened with ASC quality measure reporting in the last 2 years, especially this year, says Gina Throneberry, MBA, RN, CNOR, CASC, director, education and clinical affairs, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA). Throneberry spoke at the ASCA annual conference in April. In the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid…

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Editor's Note The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased its mask recommendations for nursing homes and hospitals not experiencing high levels of COVID-19 transmission, US News & World Report September 26 reports. The CDC made these changes to the updated guidelines published on Friday, September 23. Unlike…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 23 identified the recall by Philips Respironics of certain models of its BiPAP machines as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because certain machines may contain a plastic contaminated with a noncompatible material. If the plastic is…

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Editor's Note Houston Methodist, the first US health system to mandate vaccination of its employees in March 2021, is not requiring employees to receive new COVID-19 vaccines targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the September 21 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Though the system is strongly recommending that employees get the…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) on September 21 announced the launch of a new surgical quality program to help hospitals establish and maintain the highest standards in emergency general surgery. The Emergency General Surgery Verification Program focuses on…

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Editor's Note Within the past week there has been conversation about a potential end to the COVID-19 pandemic as deaths are at their lowest level worldwide since the initial outbreak, OR Manager September 15 reported. Following comments from the World Health Organization, President Joe Biden said the pandemic was “over”…

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