Editor's Note The U.S. healthcare sector is projected to experience a shortage of 100,000 workers by 2028, according to an August 29 report by Mercer. This shortfall is expected to affect key roles such as nursing assistants, nurse practitioners, and specialized primary care physicians. Nursing assistants are projected to have…

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Editor's Note Recalls of certain devices and instruction updates for others prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue Class 1 recalls—the most severe category indicating risk of serious injury or death—for two groups of products: Medtronic’s McGrath MAC and MAC EMS Video Laryngoscopes and Breas Medical’s Vivo…

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Editor's Note Findings to be presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2024 suggest bariatric surgery may offer more effective long-term control of high blood pressure for people with obesity compared to medications and lifestyle changes, according to a September 5 report in News Medical. According to the…

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Editor's Note Cyberattacks in August 2024 are the latest examples of a specific Iranian group intensifying efforts against US organizations since 2017, Healthcare IT News reported September 3. Citing an advisory issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Defense…

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Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated Baxter’s recall of certain Single Patient Use Circuits and Blue Ventilator Adapter Assemblies as Class 1, the most severe recall category indicating significant risk of injury or death. The Single Patient Use Circuit and Blue Adapter Assembly are patient circuit…

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Editor’s Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is advocating for clearer reprocessing instructions for medical devices to improve patient safety and efficiency, Outpatient Surgery Magazine August 19 reports. Many current instructions for use (IFUs) are considered overly complex, outdated, and difficult to interpret, especially for…

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Editor's Note Research led by the University of Southern California and published in the journal Advances in Wound Care showed new technology using fluorescent light has proven effective in detecting bacteria missed during standard wound cleaning, US News & World Report August 30 reports. In a review of 26 medical studies,…

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Editor's Note A recent study analyzing 30 years of national registry data shows a significant decline in perioperative mortality among living kidney donors, MedPage Today August 28 reports. From 2013 to 2022, the mortality rate within 90 days post-donation was 0.9 per 10,000 donations, compared to 2.9 per 10,000 in…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and National Quality Forum (NQF) announced on September 3 they are now accepting applications for the 2024 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards. The application window is open until October 29, 2024. The annual awards, which recognize major achievements by individuals and organizations…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) announced on August 21 the release of an updated version of its Medication Reconciliation Toolkit, designed to help ambulatory healthcare professionals minimize medication errors and improve patient outcomes. The toolkit emphasizes the importance of accurately documenting all medications including vitamins,…

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