Survey: COVID-19 seropositivity among high-risk HCWs
Editor's Note This survey of high-risk healthcare workers (HCWs) at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego County finds a relatively small proportion who were seropositive for COVID-19. Of 1,770 participants, 39 (2.2%) had a positive antibody test. Among 22 who reported a history of presumptive or confirmed COVID-19, 14 were antibody…
Impact of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist relative to its design, intended use
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, finds that the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist is positively impacting the things it was explicitly designed to address. The analysis included 36 articles and 20 systematic reviews. A thematic analysis revealed…
Changes in hospital-acquired conditions, mortality after HACRP
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, find that hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) targeted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program (HACRP) declined after the program was announced, but 30-day mortality was unchanged. The analysis included 8,857,877 Medicare beneficiaries…
Study: HCW shortages expected for every state by 2026
Editor's Note Mercer’s 2021 External Healthcare Labor Market Analysis finds a shortage of healthcare workers (HCWs) over the next 5 to 10 years as the US continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The main findings of the study are: There will be a labor shortage at the low end…
Association of physical activity, screen time with children’s mental health during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study from the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington finds that more physical activity and less screen time were associated with better mental health for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted from October 22 to November 2, 2020, of 547 parents of…
FDA: Class I recall of Amsorb Plus used to absorb carbon dioxide in anesthesia machines
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on September 23, identified the recall by Armstrong Medical of certain lots of its Amsorb Plus Prefilled G-Can 1.0L canisters as Class I, the most serious. Amsorb Plus is a chemical substance used in anesthesia machines to absorb carbon dioxide the patient…
Occupational exposures, secondary cases of COVID-19 in HCWs
Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, find that more healthcare workers (HCWs) were exposed to COVID-19 by coworkers than patients, and lapses in infection prevention practices increased transmission risk. Between June and December 2020, 2,357 HCWs were involved in occupational…
The Joint Commission posts new sentinel event data
Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on September 29, released new sentinel event data for the first 6 months of 2021. The summary data of sentinel event statistics for the first half of 2021 covers 16,695 incidents reported from 1995 through June 30, 2021. Of these sentinel events: 47% led to…
CDC: Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
Editor's Note This study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that adverse reactions after the third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine were similar to those after the second dose. Of 12,591 participants who completed a survey after all three doses: 79.4% and 74.1% reported local…
ECRI partners with FDA on safety of materials in medical devices
Editor's Note ECRI, on September 30, announced a new partnership with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the safety of medical devices through the use of safer materials. ECRI is developing safety reports for materials commonly used in implantable medical devices and assessing their possible effects on patients…
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