Editor's Note Overall healthcare employment in the US was up in October to a seasonally adjusted 16,577,200 workers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 4. That’s up 52,600 since September. Hospital employment also was up by 10,800 jobs. The overall unemployment rate for October rose to 3.7%, for…

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Editor's Note This study from Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, which was presented November 5 at the ASN [American Society of Nephrology] Kidney Week 2022 in Orlando, examines the effect of kidney disease and other conditions on COVID-19 outcomes during four waves of the pandemic in New York…

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Editor's Note ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO, on November 7, named Monument Health of Rapid City, South Dakota, the winner of the 2022 Safety Excellence Award. The healthcare system set a strategic goal to improve culture of safety, increase incident and near-miss event reporting, and enrich…

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Editor's Note Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, via an initiative spearheaded by Jennifer Goldman, DO, chief of Memorial Primary Care, began including social determinants of health (SDOH) data in its electronic health record (EHR), “where doctors can see and act of them”—and that is improving patient care, HealthLeaders November…

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Editor's Note According to a November 1 news release from Business Wire, a study done by Elevance Health shows that to 79% of patients surveyed, virtual primary care, or telehealth, has allowed them to take charge of their health, Becker’s Hospital Review November 1 reports. The study was conducted online…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on November 2 announced that it has added safety briefings to all accreditation surveys as well as certification and verification reviews, effective January 1, 2023. The informal, 5-minute briefing allows organizations to tell surveyors and reviewers about any potential safety concerns and how they should…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington, Seattle, highlights the complexity of diagnosing long COVID and the challenges of caring for patients with this condition. Included in the analysis were 200 randomly sampled COVID-19 patients receiving care in…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on November 1 identified the recall of Teleflex’s Iso-Gard Filter S as Class I, the most serious. Iso-Gard filters are breathing circuit bacterial filters that are connected to respiratory equipment or breathing systems in operating rooms and ICUs. The recall was initiated…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 31 issued a Medical Device Safety Communication on tracheostomy tube shortages. Included in the shortages are Bivona tracheostomy tubes manufactured by ICU Medical, which are more likely to affect pediatric patients. Also on the shortage list are JOH Tube Tracheostomy…

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Editor's Note This experimental study, led by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, finds that chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is the most effective irrigation solution for use as part of the surgical treatment of bone tumors. Cultures of two types of bone tumors (giant cell and chondrosarcoma) were treated with…

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