Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data is showing an uptick in COVID-19 positivity rates and emergency department visits after months of decline, according to the July 24 US News and World Report. Cases of the Omicron subvariant EG.5, which was recently added to the World Health…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers at South Dakota State University, Brookings, investigates why COVID-19 booster uptake has been a challenge among nurses. A total of 1,084 nurses were included in the analysis. Results showed that the odds ratio (OR) for booster uptake was associated with: Partisan self-identification (OR 0.40)…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 20, announced that it will eliminate and consolidate 200 additional standards, following the first reduction announced last year. Among the changes: Critical Access Hospitals: Of 150 in-scope elements of performance (EPs), 31 were deleted or consolidated, for a 15% reduction Office-Based Surgery: Of…

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Editor's Note On July 14 and 15, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) hosted a virtual event, the Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting, which brought to light new research on when to administer epidural anesthesia in the OR, an anesthesiologist-led infection prevention program reducing rates of surgical site infections…

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Editor's Note Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, find lower mortality rates following emergency general surgery (EGS) in Black and White patients when exposed to primary care prior to the surgical procedure. The retrospective cohort study included 102,384 Medicare patients aged 66 or older who were admitted from the…

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Editor's Note This study by researches at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, examines whether moderate to vigorous physical activity concentrated in 1 to 2 days of the week (ie, a “weekend warrior” pattern) confers similar cardiovascular benefits as more evenly…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 19, announced that it and the National Quality Forum (NQF) are accepting applications for the 2023 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Awards through August 7. The awards, which recognize major achievements by individuals and organizations in their use of innovative approaches…

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Editor's Note This study by led nurse researchers at the Deaconess Health System, Evansville, Indiana, compares the degree of resilience and physical and mental health in nurses before and during COVID-19. A higher proportion of nurses surveyed during COVID-19 reported working more than 8 hours of overtime per week, had…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on July 19, announced that it has revised its Medication Compounding (MC) chapter for home care organizations and the Medication Compounding Certification (MDC) program, which is available to accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, and home care pharmacy organizations. Among the revisions: Revising the requirements to…

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Takeaways • Patient data & safety are at risk: 94% of hospitals have experienced at least one cyberattack. • Less than half of hospitals in the US carry cybersecurity insurance. • Security is a two-part strategy: cybersecurity insurance as well as preventative measures (eg, encrypted backups, patches, and training). When…

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