Editor's Note This meta-analysis by researchers from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran; Harvard Medical School, Boston; and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, finds a greater risk for Bell's palsy with COVID-19 infection, compared with COVID-19 vaccination. A total of 50 studies were included in the analysis with…

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Editor's Note The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), on April 10, announced the release of updated standards for its 3-year Advanced Orthopaedic Certification program, which will take effect July 1, 2023. The updated Certification Handbook for Advanced Orthopaedics, v42, introduces new terminology and standards architecture plus a revised…

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Editor's Note This April 24 report from Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London explains how giving a little extra attention to any one of four components of good health—sleeping enough, eating well, exercising, and coping with stress—can improve the others. It all begins in the brain with stress. If the brain…

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Editor's Note New safety considerations for using validated suicide risk screening tools related to implementation and training were released by The Joint Commission on March 27. When working with patients at risk of suicide, screening tools can help determine appropriate treatment options and whether further assessment is needed. However, it…

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Editor's Note The World Health Organization, on March 28, announced the revision of it’s guidance for prioritizing the use of COVID-19 vaccines after the meeting of its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). The guidance was revised to reflect that much of the population has either been vaccinated…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking input to a survey on the implementation and utilization of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) to better assess the impact of prospective changes to data submission practices. This applies, in particular, to a healthcare organization’s readiness in…

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Nurse leaders know that a successful workplace fosters and celebrates teamwork. In the OR, teamwork among surgeons, surgical technologists, circulating nurses, anesthesiologists, and first assistants, to name a few, is critical to ensure patient safety and positive outcomes. And teamwork does not have to be reserved for inside the surgical…

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Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that despite calls for the expansion of outpatient surgery to mitigate the growing backlog of surgical cases during COVID-19, the transition of general surgery procedures from inpatient to outpatient settings occurred in only a small subset of procedures. This cohort study…

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Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) on January 18 released a revised American National Standard that includes new information for manufacturers and users of personal protective equipment (PPE). The new edition of “ANSI/AAMI PB70:2022, Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended…

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Editor's Note Workplace violence is a current obstacle nurses and healthcare workers face every day, reports December 29 Becker's Hospital Review.  In response, Healthcare communities have urged Congress to pass legislation to diminish any violent threats or attacks on hospital workers. Statistics on workplace violence against nurses, based on data…

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