Editor's Note This study led by researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia examines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers (HCWs) at two large academic hospitals in Philadelphia. A total of 5,929 HCWs were surveyed, including 2,253 MDs and DOs, 582 nurse practitioners (NPs), 158 physician assistants (PAs), and 2,936 nurses.…
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, examines the World Bank Disease Control Priorities’ 44 essential surgical procedures, which are a starting point for health care systems in low- and middle-income countries, and analyzes whether the list should be expanded for nations with more…
Editor's Note The American Journal of Infection Control published a study on October 13 showing the risks of manually cleaning medical equipment, Healthcare Purchasing News October 14 reports. The study emphasizes the importance of proper procedures and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce risk of contamination. The…
Editor's Note This study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco-East Bay, Oakland, finds that having a surgical procedure shortly after COVID-19 infection was not associated with higher risks in fully vaccinated patients or those who did not have general anesthesia. The analysis included 228,913…
Editor's Note In this study from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, researchers find that Black Medicare patients were less likely to receive surgical consultations than White Medicare patients after being admitted from the emergency department (ED) with an emergency general surgery condition. Of 1,686,940 Medicare patients included in the analysis,…
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) on October 11 issued comments on a European study examining colonoscopies that was published October 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which looked at colonoscopies in Sweden, Poland, Norway, and the Netherlands, seemed to question the effectiveness of…
Editor's Note This Swiss study finds that better OR ventilation properties, as assessed with a new ventilation index, are associated with lower rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) in orthopedic, spine, and cardiac procedures. Researchers calculated a ventilation index with higher values reflecting less turbulent air displacement instead of comparing…
Editor’s Note A new research study, titled “Comparison of Quality Performance Measures for Patients Receiving In-Person vs Telemedicine Primary Care in a Large Integrated Health System” and published by JAMA Network on September 26, showed that telehealth performed better than in-person services in 11 out of 16 measurements for care,…
Editor's Note In this study from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, researchers find that nearly a fifth of cases canceled on the day of surgery are never rescheduled, and, if they are rescheduled, the delay can be substantial. During the 2-year study period, 4,472 cases were canceled on the day…
Editor's Note This study led by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine finds significant sustained reduction in weight and comorbidities as well as low rates of long-term complications 10 years or more after having metabolic and bariatric surgery as an adolescent. A total of 96 patients (83% female,…