Editor's Note This study by UCLA researchers finds patient experiences with telehealth physician appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic were as positive as traditional face-to-face visits and phone visits, or even more so. The researchers surveyed 58,509 adult patients on their 13,928 primary care and 44,581 specialty physician visits at 197…
Prior to the advent of nurses in operational leadership roles, operational decisions in healthcare were made by financial and business executives, as well as physicians, without full and adequate input from nursing. Today, nurses have earned their place at the management table as a vital part of the outcomes of…
The differences between sterile processing (SP) and OR tasks and department cultures are significant. However, they share a collective goal: both work toward the best outcome for every patient. Still, both departments often suffer from having unrealistic goals for each other. One example is that the OR may expect instruments…
Advances in surgery and the growing use of technology and equipment have contributed to the ascendance of the hospital setting for the education and training of perioperative nurses when delivering surgical care. Education and training programs based on hospital needs have led to a diversity of methods among employers and…
Editor's Note On January 25, 2022, the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing released the results from a survey of more than 5,600 nurses, which were published by the American Nurses Association (ANA). According to the results, racism is a “substantial problem” within nursing. Health Leaders, in an article…
Editor's Note A recent survey by McKinsey & Company finds that more than 30% of US nurses are thinking of leaving direct patient care for other roles. Reasons cited by nurses for leaving, include: ongoing demands of the COVID-19 pandemic hiring and retention incentives at other workplaces desire for support…
Editor's Note On January 19, a federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas opposing the federal vaccine mandate. This came just days after the Supreme Court also ruled to uphold the mandate “to promote and protect patient health and safety.” On January 20, CMS issued updated…
This relationship started with a conversation in an airport bar in Washington DC. We were discussing our similar cardiac surgery backgrounds and the Denver Bronco’s linebacker, Karl Mecklenburg, who, coincidently, was the son of a surgeon with whom she had worked. This conversation has grown into more than 35 years…
It has been a roller coaster of a ride for almost 2 years now in both our private and professional lives. No one has a crystal ball, but I would guess that there will be more bumps in the road before we arrive at something close to normal—whatever normal will…
Editor's Note Nurses were rated highest for honesty and ethics in a Gallup poll for the 20th consecutive year. A total of 81% of respondents said nurses have high or very high ethics and honesty, and healthcare professionals were three of the four highest rated professions. Three of the top…