CDC posts updated point-of-care testing guidelines for COVID-19
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 12 posted updated point-of-care (POC) testing biosafety guidelines for COVID-19. The update includes guidance for: use of instruments in a location associated with a current Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certificate site- and activity-specific risk assessment proper staff training adherence…
Readying your SPD for a post-COVID world
Editor's Note While responding to demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, perioperative leaders also are busy preparing staff and departments for life after the initial shock subsides. Chief among their preparations are strategies to address the increased demand for surgery because of postponement of elective and nonessential surgical procedures. The sterile…
Provider burnout, fatigue during COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note This article from Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas A&M University researchers shares the lessons learned by an interdisciplinary team of ICU healthcare providers and their experiences of occupational fatigue and burnout as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers documented four major areas of stress with the…
OR leaders chart new territory for resuming elective surgery
Elective surgical procedures that were temporarily suspended in mid-March are now on the table—or soon will be—at some US facilities. The ban, announced on March 18 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was enacted to free up resources for facilities overwhelmed by surges of COVID-19 patients. On…
Children's hospital revises patient care criteria for COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on all aspects of healthcare delivery worldwide. For children’s hospitals, the crisis has created unique challenges in ensuring patient and provider safety as well as helping to contain the spread of COVID-19 through their communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control…
Editorial
Coronavirus cases in the US topped 1 million in late April. Although total numbers of cases and deaths change daily and vary greatly among urban vs rural regions of the country, it’s safe to say we haven’t yet seen the last of the surges. Despite ongoing shortages of personal protective…
Pandemic has altered perceptions of healthcare industry
Although COVID-19 cases are still emerging in many parts of the country, some businesses have reopened and some elective procedures are once again being performed. Many events that did not take place in the spring will be held in the fall, including the annual OR Manager Conference, September 30 to…
ASCs following new rules for safety during pandemic
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that led the United States to declare a national emergency and implement a ban on all elective diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as well as elective surgery in inpatient and outpatient settings. On March 19, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) released guidance…
Heating could be best way to reprocess N95 respirators
Editor's Note This study from Stanford University tests five methods for disinfecting N95 masks and finds that heating them preserves their filtration efficiency for 50 cycles of disinfection. In the study, instead of analyzing N95 masks, which were needed by healthcare workers, the researchers examined pieces of the fabric used…
OSHA issues guidance on reuse, decontamination of N95 respirators
Editor's Note The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on April 24 issued interim guidance on the reuse and decontamination of N95 and other filtering-facepiece respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic. OSHA notes that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has identified research that suggests the following methods…
Free Daily News
- Report: Medical student distress rises amid overall healthcare burnout improvement
- Prosthetic insurance coverage disparities persist despite legal protections
- Study: GLP-1 drugs reduce surgical complications in diabetes patients
- United Surgical Partners agrees to $1.48M settlement in 401(k) fee lawsuit
- Healthcare M&A activity set to rebound in 2025 amid stricter state oversight
- High participation in ASCQR program continues, March deadline for reconsideration requests
- Study: Preoperative stereotactic radiosurgery shows promise in brain metastases management
- Senate report: Private equity endangers patient care in underserved hospitals
- Study: Postoperative thirst often overlooked by OR, ward nurses
- FDA draft guidance addresses pulse oximeter accuracy, AI devices