Editor's Note Data from a new survey of more than 4,500 nurses conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in conjunction with the Johnson & Johnson-sponsored “COVID Vaccine Facts for Nurses” campaign finds that about 90% are vaccinated against COVID-19 or plan to be vaccinated. Other findings from the survey…

Read More

Editor's Note This study by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, finds that patients who had a penicillin allergy carried a higher risk for negative outcomes with COVID-19 than those without the allergy. This analysis included 13,183 adults with COVID-19 and a penicillin allergy and 13,183…

Read More

Editor's Note The Louisiana Department of Health has requested 6,000 military nurses to help handle increasing patient volumes in the state because of the surge in COVID-19 cases, the August 17 k945.com reports. The report also notes that: 95% of all COVID-19 cases in Louisiana are due to the Delta…

Read More

The better a patient’s overall health prior to undergoing surgery, the more likely a good surgical outcome. Research has demonstrated the benefits of prehabilitation and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, and many healthcare facilities have embedded such practices into their surgical patient care pathways. At UPMC Central Pennsylvania Region in…

Read More

Editor's Note This international multicenter study led by UK researchers finds that the first wave of COVID-19 significantly impacted surgical patients in peak months—directly by comorbid infections and indirectly by increasing mortality, irrespective of COVID-19 status. In this analysis of 3,176 emergency adult surgical patients from 18 countries (between March…

Read More

Editor's Note American Hospital Association statistics show that 1,850 US hospitals, or nearly 30%, have now announced COVID-19 vaccination mandates for their healthcare workers (HCWs), the August 17 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. Several states, including California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Main, also are requiring HCWs to get vaccinated.…

Read More

Editor's Note This study finds that 11.3% of COVID-19 patients in the UK caught the infection while in the hospital during the first wave of the pandemic, and this proportion increased to at least 15.8% by May 2020. Of 82,624 patients admitted to 314 hospitals before August 1, 2020, between…

Read More

Editor's Note AORN announced on August 15 that it will launch a new “Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of RSI.” Facilities will be recognized as Centers of Excellence for implementing a surgical team-based program to prevent retained surgical items (RSI). The complimentary program, sponsored by the AORN Foundation…

Read More

Editor's Note New research from Qualtrics finds that 44% of US workers would think about leaving their jobs if their employers introduced a vaccine mandate, the August 19 Quartz at Work reports. This number is up from 39% in March; however, 38% said they would consider leaving their jobs if…

Read More

Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) on August 4 updated their guidance for perioperative testing for COVID-19 to say that all patients having anesthetics or surgical procedures with the potential to generate aerosols should have preoperative testing for COVID-19, regardless of their…

Read More