Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles evaluates the effect of “serenity lounges” (ie, dedicated rooms where nurses can take breaks to relax and rejuvenate) and massage chairs on nurse anxiety, stress, and burnout, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers analyzed 67 paired…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 11, announced that surveyors and reviewers will remain masked, adhere to social distancing, and follow other Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines while onsite at an organization. The Joint Commission asks that healthcare workers (HCWs) and organization staff also remain masked while…

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Editor's Note This Australian study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant increase in ICU admissions of children and adolescents with deliberate self-harm. Of 813 study patients aged 12 to 17 years, 230 (15.2%) were admitted during the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 11, posted the Top 5 requirements that were most frequently identified as “not compliant” during surveys and reviews in 2021. The Top 5 for Hospitals were: IC.02.02.01 EP 2: The hospital reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.…

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Editor's Note Though new COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron BA.2 subvariant are dropping, Omicron’s more infectious subvariant BA2.12.1 is beginning to gain a foothold in the US, the May 10 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Omicron BA2.12.1 now accounts for nearly 43% of new cases as of May 7, compared…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 9 identified the recall by Mesa Biotech, Inc, of certain Accula SARS-CoV-2 Tests as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because certain lots of the PCR test have an increased risk of giving false positive results because…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 5 announced that it has limited the authorized use of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 years of age and older for whom other COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate and to those who would…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Baptist Health Lexington, Kentucky, describes both emotional and administrative challenges chief nursing officers (CNOs) in the US faced during the COVID-19 crisis. Interviews conducted with 9 CNOs revealed they: were frustrated with constant change were saddened by the volume of death felt…

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Editor's Note This study by nurse researchers at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, California, provides evidence that classical music virtual reality (VR) may reduce burnout in healthcare workers (HCWs). A total of 71 HCWs completed 3 sessions of VR and took a baseline survey before engaging in VR and a…

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Editor's Note After 24 years of follow-up in the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, find that night shift work was associated with decreased odds of healthy aging. Healthy aging was defined as reaching at least 70 years of age and…

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