Safety/Quality
The Joint Commission: New R3 Report on requirements for antibiotic stewardship
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 22 announced a new “R3 Report—Issue 35: New and Revised Requirements for Antibiotic Stewardship,” which details the rationale and references behind new and revised requirements to optimize the use of antibiotics, effective January 1, 2023. The requirements include 12 new and revised elements…
HHS publishes guidance for health systems to strengthen cybersecurity
Editor's Note On June 16, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a guidance, titled “Strengthening Cyber Posture in the Health Sector, to help health systems and other healthcare organizations “improve their overall strength, protocols, and prevention abilities for cyberattacks,” Becker’s Health…
FDA monitoring pulse oximeter accuracy and limitations
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety communication update on June 21 alerting providers that the agency “continues to evaluate all available information pertaining to factors that may affect pulse oximeter accuracy and performance.” A May 2022 study published by JAMA Internal Medicine showed that…
Borescope examination and microbial culture findings in endoscopes
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Mercy Hospital, find that routinely doing borescope examinations and microbial culturing during endoscope reprocessing is a highly effective way to identify endoscopes with damage, abnormalities, and microorganisms of concern. A total of…
FDA: Class I recall of one lot of Draeger SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 21 identified the recall by Draeger, Inc, of one lot (LT2103) of its SafeStar 55 Breathing System Filters as Class I, the most serious. The Breathing System Filter is used as part of a ventilator when a patient is under…
Study: Life expectancy rates on the rise in the US
Editor's Note A new study, led by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, Seattle, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and published by The Lancet on June 16, has examined trends in life expectancy in the US…
FDA, CDC recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old, which expands eligibility to some 20 million babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, CBS News June 17 reports. After convening on Saturday, June 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also…
CMS citation trends show infection control in top 10 cited areas
Editor's Note According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality, Certification, and Oversight Reports (QCOR) page, which gives the public access to citation frequency reports, infection control was a top area of focus for CMS surveyors in 2021, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association journal ASC Focus June…
CDC updates monkeypox guidance, case definition for clinicians
Editor's Note On June 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network health update on guidance to help clinicians evaluate and test patients with relevant history, signs, and symptoms for monkeypox, the American Hospital Association (AHA) June 16 reports. This latest update comes on…
Human broadly neutralizing antibodies could provide immunity against COVID-19 variants
Editor's Note In this French study, two human broadly neutralizing antibodies show promise in providing long-acting immunity against COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients. The antibodies were effective against all COVID-19 variants tested and could be used alone or in an antibody cocktail. Researchers examined 102 spike monoclonal antibodies cloned from IgA…
Free Daily News
- Study: Therapy dogs reduce healthcare worker burnout
- Localized nurse shortages to persist amid nationwide surplus, analysis predicts
- California updates guidance on CRNA scope of practice
- FDA designates Class 1 recall for tracheostomy tubes
- Study: Preventing antibiotic-resistant infection surge could save millions
- Face transplant survival rates “encouraging,” global study finds
- Vertical integration reshaping US healthcare: Impact on cost, access
- ChristianaCare, Atlas Healthcare form joint venture to expand ASC network
- CMS calls for demonstrations of AI technology in healthcare
- Study: Adjuvant nivolumab reduces risk of death, lung cancer recurrence