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 Wearing a surgical face mask can provide similar protection against aerosols as wearing a respirator, but face shields provide little or no protection, finds this study, which will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases July 9-12. German researchers compared 32 types of…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Pasadena, found no association in COVID-19 positivity rates among healthcare workers (HCWs) wearing respirator masks vs medical masks when performing nonaerosolizing, routine patient care. Of 1,414 HCWs involved in the study: 595 (42.1%) had exposures to…

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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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Editor's Note This systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis by UK researchers find that the FDA-approved, anti-parasitic drug ivermectin could reduce COVID-19 related deaths and infections. The data showed: The use of ivermectin to treat patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 reduced risk of death by an average of 62%. The…

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Does it really matter if surgical instruments are submerged in cleaning solution when technologists or nurses scrub them after a case? Is there a reason for the 3-foot separation between dirty and clean areas? Do germs stop at the red line? During the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention has been focused…

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Many ingredients go into the recipe for patient safety, and culture is one ingredient that is often overlooked. If the perioperative culture penalizes those who call out patient safety issues and doesn’t commit to continuous quality improvement (QI), it’s likely only a matter of time before a serious error occurs.…

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Communication is an underlying theme in several articles in this issue. We examine the concept from many different angles, but a common thread is its impact on safety—for patients and providers alike. In the COVID-19 era, safety has been a chief driver of decision making. Early in 2020, elective surgical…

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The pandemic has called on leaders to inspire their teams to achieve greatness both during a crisis and afterward. The annual OR Manager Conference will bring Cy Wakeman, MS, CSP, to the stage to help attendees find ways to turn adversity into opportunity. Wakeman, president and founder of Reality-Based Leadership,…

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