Editor's Note Across the US, drug shortages are on the rise, including for chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, and weight-loss drugs, PBS News November 5 reports. This trend is worrisome for many reasons, experts say, with the top-pressing concern being high-risk patients having to switch to less effective or more aggressive regimens…

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Editor's Note A patient with Parkinson’s disease was able to walk normally again thanks to a surgical implant of an experimental spinal cord neuroprosthesis. The findings were published in the journal Nature on November 6 under the article title, "A spinal cord neuroprosthesis for locomotor deficits due to Parkinson’s disease." …

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Editor's Note Seeking higher pay and greater flexibility, many nurses are turning to gig work, MedicalXpress November 8 reports. The article defines gig work as “picking up individual shifts on an app as an alternative to months-long contracts or direct employment by a hospital.” Also according to the article: 100,000…

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Editor's Note The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on October 26 announced a new cybersecurity-focused toolkit with resources for healthcare organizations and the public health sector. The two agencies have been working with the Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) Cybersecurity…

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Editor's Note A new survey from ECRI finds that shortages of medications and medical supplies and equipment are harming patients, the nonprofit organization reported in an October 13 news release. ECRI surveyed nearly 200 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, procurement specialists, physicians, and nurses in July 2023. Following are some takeaways from…

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Editor's Note New research shows that physicians who used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic spent increased time working in the electronic health record (EHR). The research findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine on October 30. Researchers studied the weekly EHR metadata of 1,052 physicians at the University of California…

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Editor's Note Physicians at the University of Kansas Health System are piloting an AI-based app called Abridge that captures feedback from the medical care team and transcribes it for patients, Fox4 August 9 reports. This AI-led process reportedly saved time on documentation while providing clear guidance for patients The new…

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ORs are a key revenue driver for hospitals, with surgical services accounting for nearly half of hospital margins. Efficient use of OR time is therefore critical to sustaining and growing hospital revenue and profitability. Perioperative leaders face an ongoing challenge in optimizing OR utilization, however, because of the common mindset…

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Editor's Note An international team of scientists designed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to provide insights into how a particular drug will interact in an individual prior to administration, Science Direct October 31 reports. The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports.  Among the findings: One-third of drugs work…

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Editor's Note A new process has been put in place for uploading documents for all certification programs to The Joint Commission, the regulatory and accreditation agency reported on October 25. Required documents must now be uploaded to the organization’s Joint Commission Connect® extranet site, rather than to SharePoint. Any Joint…

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