CDC report: Nearly 60% of Americans have had COVID-19
Editor's Note According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, titled “Seroprevalence of Infection-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies — United States, September 2021–February 2022” and published on April 26, almost 60% of people living in the US, including 75% of children and adolescents, has contracted COVID-19, Becker’s Hospital Review…
Lower dosing of COVID-19 vaccine could save lives in a supply shortage
Editor's Note A study, titled “Modeling comparative cost-effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose fractionation in India” and published in February 2022 by Nature Media, found that administering smaller doses of the COVID-19 vaccines may be an economically viable way to save more lives than either fully vaccinating or not vaccinating in…
Innovation Spot: Leveraging technology to address gaps in staffing
Is technology part of the answer for nursing staff woes? As COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospital beds, caregivers are feeling exhausted, burned out, and unappreciated. OR nurses have been especially hit hard, as shifts in surgeries and overflowing patient wards stretch OR nurses beyond their limits and comfort zones.…
Report: Number of COVID-19-related deaths may be 3x higher globally
Editor's Note According to an “estimate of excess mortality” by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, “more than 3 times” the known number of people who have succumbed to COVID-19 “may have died around the world due to direct and indirect effects” of the…
Study: Moral distress experienced by nurses on frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic
Editor's Note In this study, nurse researchers from DePaul University in Chicago document the emotions of 100 nurses throughout the US who cared for patients during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the findings: Nurses described many forms of frustration while providing patient care, such as frustration with healthcare…
Rates of COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated adults with prior COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the University of Chicago finds that unvaccinated adults with prior COVID-19 infection had an 85% lower risk of acquiring COVID-19 again than unvaccinated adults without prior COVID-19. The researchers analyzed data from patients tested for COVID-19 at 1,300 sites of care in 6 western states…
CMS releases FY 2023 hospital IPPS proposed rule
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), on April 18, released the FY 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule. The rule would increase payment rates by a net 3.2% for acute care hospitals that participate in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and…
Hospital masking rules are beginning to differ state to state
Editor's Note Amid reports of rising rates of COVID-19 infection in more than 30 states, some high-traffic, high-contact industries such as air travel are starting to wean off firm masking rules. According to Becker’s Hospital Review April 19, the largest US airlines “dropped mask requirements for domestic flights” starting on…
Mayo Clinic: 5 ‘early care tips’ for people with long COVID
Editor's Note Greg Vanichkachorn, director of Mayo Clinic's COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program and a physician in Mayo’s Division of Public Health, Infectious Diseases, and Occupational Medicine, alongside other Mayo Clinic experts, has visited with hundreds of patients diagnosed with long COVID and shared his observations on early recovery steps, Healthcare…
FDA issues EUA for first COVID-19 breathalyzer test, results in under 3 minutes
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 14 issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 breathalyzer test for individuals 18 years and older. According to the agency, this new diagnostic test can detect the virus in breath samples in under three minutes. Under…
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- Nursing workforce faces high turnover despite signs of recovery
- FDA issues early alerts for intravascular catheters
- Market volatility threatens hospitals’ liquidity as tariff-driven costs rise
- Study: CT scan radiation could drive 5% of future cancer cases
- New studies, surgical feats advance organ transplant medicine
- Commentary: Cyberattacks threaten financial survival of surgical practices
- Tariffs strain supply chains, split medical manufacturing community
- Study: Systemic gender bias embedded in surgical practice
- Literature review: Endoscope disinfection failures highlight need for stronger sterilization practices