Editor's Note The new Coronavirus disease from China has been given an official name by the World Health Organization, “COVID-19,” The February 11 NPR reports. COVI comes from coronavirus, the D stands for disease, and the 19 represents 2019, the year the virus was first identified. The name will apply…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on February 12 updated it personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations for healthcare personnel. Who needs PPE? Patients with confirmed or possible COVID-19 infection should wear a facemask during medical evaluations. Healthcare personnel should adhere to standard, contact, and airborne precautions,…

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Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn says there have been no drug or medical device shortages reported in the US so far amid the coronavirus outbreak, but the situation remains fluid, the February 7 Politico reports. The FDA has pulled its inspectors from China, and…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 8 updated its guidance for risk assessment and management of healthcare personnel possibly exposed in a healthcare setting to patients with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The first confirmed transmission from person-to-person in the US was reported January 30,…

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Editor's Note In this first national study of US nurse suicide, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health, Department of Nursing, found that male and female nurses are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. Data from the Centers…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 21 confirmed the first case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from China in the state of Washington. The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of pneumonia caused by this virus has been ongoing since…

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Editor's Note Reproductive hazards are present in the OR and may contribute to pregnancy complications and infertility in female surgeons, this review finds. Hazards include radiation, surgical smoke, working conditions, sharps injuries, anesthetic gases, and intraoperative use of toxic agents. Studies comparing female surgeons with the general population show increased…

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Editor's Note In this multicenter study, a global program based on the application of ergonomics in the OR and specific physical exercises reduced work-related musculoskeletal disorders among surgeons. A total of 141 surgeons were randomized to either the preventive program (PP) group (65 surgeons) or the no preventive program (NPP)…

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Editor's Note ECRI Institute on November 7 announced that it opposes a total ban of commercial ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization operations because it could result in widespread shortages of sterile medical devices. Hospitals around the country reported device shortages after a large Illinois-based sterilization plant closed because of state environmental…

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Editor's Note Clinician burnout is affecting between one-third and one-half of nurses and physicians and 40% to 60% of medical students and residents, according to a new consensus report by 32 institutions and foundations, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Among the ways to fight burnout discussed in the…

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