Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on July 7 that second quarter Accelerate PI Dashboard Reports are available for accredited organizations. The reports reflect the most recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Compare website and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) data reported under The Joint Commission's ORYX…

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Editor's Note This randomized controlled clinical trial led by German researchers finds a concern of mask-wearing causing hypercapnia (excessive carbon dioxide in the bloodstream) in children. In this analysis of 45 children, carbon dioxide levels were measured at baseline without a face mask and during inhalation and exhalation under surgical…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 2 identified the recall by Medtronic Vascular of its angiographic guidewire component as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the devices were not sterilized before being shipped to hospitals. The guidewire is used during angiography or other interventional…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 30 announced that it is revoking the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for non-NIOSH-approved disposable respirators (including N95s), effective July 6. The announcement also revokes EUAs for decontamination and bioburden reduction systems for disposable respirators, effective immediately. The FDA says the…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on June 25 identified the recall by Avid Medical of its convenience kits for medical-surgical procedures as Class I, the most serious. The company is recalling those kits that contain BD/Carefusion’s Chloraprep 3 mL applicator because of the risk of contamination of the…

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Editor's Note This study from Austria finds a high prevalence of mental disorders in high school students 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Of 3,052 adolescents who participated in the study: 55% had clinically relevant depressive symptoms 47% had clinically relevant anxiety symptoms 22.8% had clinically relevant moderate insomnia…

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Editor's Note The number of hospitals and healthcare systems mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for their healthcare workers (HCWs) is growing, the June 29 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. In chronological order, the organizations that have announced mandates as of June 29 are: Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, will require its workforce of…

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Editor's Note This survey of 26,174 public healthcare workers (HCWs) from March 29 to April 16, 2021, by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that 53% had experienced at least one mental health condition in the previous 2 weeks. Prevalences of symptoms were: depression: 32%…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on June 25, identified the recall of DeRoyal Industries’ surgical procedure packs as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because the packs contain 1% lidocaine that had been mislabeled as 0.5% bupivacaine. The procedure packs are used for cardiac…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on June 23 that it will implement new and revised Performance Improvement and Leadership accreditation standards for all of its accreditation programs, beginning January 1, 2022. The revisions factor in two common themes found in organizations with successful improvement programs: adoption of established improvement…

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