Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in April to a seasonally adjusted 16,752,600 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 5. That’s up 39,600 since March. Hospital employment also was up by 6,600 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for April was 3.4%, for a…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission’s Ambulatory Buzz on April 24 published five precautionary tips for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to implement in order to “respond quickly and effectively” to emergencies during outpatient surgery. They are: Establish a culture of safety. Prior to a surgical procedure, conduct a comprehensive physical examination…

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Editor's Note In this paper, published in Health Affairs on May 4, Tony Yang, ScD, LLM, MPH, endowed professor in health policy at the George Washington School of Nursing, and his coauthors argue that a more comprehensive approach than recruiting internationally educated nurses is needed to address the US nursing…

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Editor's Note This update to the 2014 "Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" recommends that antibiotics be discontinued after a patient’s incision has been closed in the OR, even if drains are present. The expert panel members writing the update add that continuing antibiotics after closure…

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Editor's Note A study led by researchers at Central Adelaide Local Health Network in Adelaide, Australia, finds using a highly structured advanced recovery room care (ARRC) model leads to greater detection and management of postoperative complications and shorter length of stay in medium-risk noncardiac patients. The study builds on a…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 3, announced the revision of several of its elements of performance (EPs) for critical access hospitals to align with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Conditions of Participation (CoPs). The revisions primarily address restraint and seclusion, the complaint process, and unified…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at the University of Florida, Gainesville, examines the factors contributing to burnout and resiliency in new graduate nurses, who are at a high risk of turnover in the first year of employment. A total of 43 new graduate nurses from three hospital campuses…

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Editor's Note The Leapfrog Group, on May 3, announced that its new Hospital Safety Grade shows a significant increase in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, spiking to a 5-year high and remaining high. Their analysis found that the average: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) ratio increased 60% Methicillin-resistant…

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Editor's Note The American Cancer Society, on May 2, announced new research that discovered both favorable and unfavorable changes in major cancer risk factors, preventive behaviors and services, and screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the favorable side, smoking, physical inactivity, and heavy alcohol consumption declined, and human papillomavirus vaccination…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, examines the long-term impact on nurses who completed an experiential educational program to improve their skills in mindfulness, resilience, and competence in confronting ethical challenges. The program called the Mindful Ethical Practice and Resilience Academy…

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