Editor's Note In this study, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researches find that COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in frontline workers diminished with the rise of the Delta variant. Effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines declined to 66% after the Delta variant became dominant, compared with 91% before its spread. The…

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Editor's Note Up to one quarter of US adults are willing to forgo potentially life-saving care in an emergency department (ED) to avoid exposure to COVID-19, a survey by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,  finds. Of 933 adults surveyed nationwide: 158 (16.9%) said they would not seek ED care for…

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Editor's Note On August 23, the American Nurses Association (ANA), American Medical Association (AMA), and American Hospital Association (AHA) released a joint statement commending the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The approval marks an important moment for those concerned about getting vaccinated because…

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Editor's Note Data from a new survey of more than 4,500 nurses conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in conjunction with the Johnson & Johnson-sponsored “COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses” campaign finds that about 90% are vaccinated against COVID-19 or plan to be vaccinated. Other findings from the survey…

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The better a patient’s overall health prior to undergoing surgery, the more likely a good surgical outcome. Research has demonstrated the benefits of prehabilitation and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, and many healthcare facilities have embedded such practices into their surgical patient care pathways. At UPMC Central Pennsylvania Region in…

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Editor's Note This international multicenter study led by UK researchers finds that the first wave of COVID-19 significantly impacted surgical patients in peak months—directly by comorbid infections and indirectly by increasing mortality, irrespective of COVID-19 status. In this analysis of 3,176 emergency adult surgical patients from 18 countries (between March…

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Editor's Note American Hospital Association statistics show that 1,850 US hospitals, or nearly 30%, have now announced COVID-19 vaccination mandates for their healthcare workers (HCWs), the August 17 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Several states, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Main, also are requiring HCWs to get vaccinated.…

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Editor's Note This study finds that 11.3% of COVID-19 patients in the UK caught the infection while in the hospital during the first wave of the pandemic, and this proportion increased to at least 15.8% by May 2020. Of 82,624 patients admitted to 314 hospitals before August 1, 2020, between…

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Editor's Note AORN announced on August 15 that it will launch a new “Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of RSI.” Facilities will be recognized as Centers of Excellence for implementing a surgical team-based program to prevent retained surgical items (RSI). The complimentary program, sponsored by the AORN Foundation…

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Editor's Note New research from Qualtrics finds that 44% of US workers would think about leaving their jobs if their employers introduced a vaccine mandate, the August 19 Quartz at Work reports. This number is up from 39% in March; however, 38% said they would consider leaving their jobs if…

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