Retired physicians, nurses, students being called back to work
Editor's Note California Gov Gavin Newsom is calling for retired physicians, nurses, and medical and nursing students to help staff emergency hospital sites, the March 30 Modern Healthcare reports. These sites could include the Los Angeles Coliseum and other sports arenas that will be converted to field hospitals to handle…
FDA acts to increase COVID-19 supplies with instructions for manufacturers importing PPE, devices
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on March 24 took action to increase US supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing instructions to manufacturers importing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices. The instructions to manufacturers clarify the types of PPE and devices they can import…
Viral load in posterior oropharyngeal saliva, serum antibody responses with COVID-19
Editor's Note Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs are typically used for viral load monitoring of respiratory infections, but they cause discomfort for patients and put healthcare workers at risk. This study found that posterior oropharyngeal saliva specimens, which are obtained by patients themselves, are an acceptable alternative for initial diagnosis and…
COVID-19 case-fatality rate, patient characteristics in Italy
Editor's Note In the first half of February only three cases of COVID-19 were identified in Italy, and all had recently traveled to China. On February 20, a case of pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Within 14 days, many other cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in…
ACS, AORN, ASA release joint statement on elective surgery decision making
Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS), Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) on March 24 released a joint statement regarding decision making on elective surgeries. The statement includes that: "A Surgical Review Committee, composed of surgery, anesthesiology, and nursing personnel is…
CDC updates strategies for optimizing the supply of facemasks
Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention on March 17 updated its strategies for optimizing personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies, including facemasks. The strategies are based on surge capacity and include: *Conventional capacity: Patient care is provided without any change in daily practices. Use facemasks according to product…
CDC: First preliminary description of outcomes in US patients with COVID-19
Editor's Note This first preliminary description of outcomes in COVID-19 patients in the US between February 12 and March 16, 2020, indicates that fatalities were: 10% to 27% in patients aged 85 or more 3% to 11% in patients aged 65-84 years 1% to 3% in patients aged 55-64 years…
CMS releases recommendations on adult elective surgeries, procedures
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 18 released recommendations that all elective surgeries and nonessential medical, surgical, and dental procedures be delayed during the COVID-19 outbreak. As more healthcare providers are asked to assist with the COVID-19 response, it is important that they consider…
How COVID-19 affects children key to slowing pandemic
Editor's Note This commentary by Andrea Cruz, MD, MPH, pediatric emergency medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and Steven Zeichner, MD, PhD, head of pediatric infectious diseases University of Virginia Health, Charlottesville, who are associate editors for Pediatrics, notes that it is crucial to understand how the COVID-19 virus affects…
Joint Commission suspends regular surveying
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on March 18 that it is suspending all regular surveying, effective March 16. This is being done to make sure the Joint Commission does not interfere with the work of healthcare organizations to prepare and care for their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The…
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- Moody’s downgrades health insurance outlook as medical costs surge
- Criminalizing anesthesia errors has unintended consequences, experts warn
- FDA approves new non-opioid analgesic
- Legislation proposes to halt Medicare physician payment cuts
- Cigna ties executive pay to patient experience
- Proposed tax credit aims to bolster nurse preceptor ranks
- Study links financial conflicts of interest to favorable robotic bariatric surgery research
- Hospitals double down on ambulatory care expansion with major investments
- Study: Post-laparotomy incisional negative pressure wound therapy fails to reduce infection risk
- FDA announces multiple Class 1 recalls