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…

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Editor's Note Incidental COVID-19—when patients are admitted to the hospital for something other than COVID-19 but test positive for the virus during their stay—is a reality for most, if not all, hospitals. However, a Becker’s study finds that the frequency of incidental COVID-19 cases is particularly challenging for hospital staff…

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Editor's Note This study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, finds that Black patients used telemedicine platforms more often than White patients for ambulatory surgical care during Phase 2 of COVID-19. During Phase 1 (March 24 through June 23), there were 347 in-person and 638 virtual…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 21 identified the recall by Medtronic Inc of its HawkOne Directional Atherectomy System as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the risk of the guidewire within the catheter moving down ward or prolapsing when force…

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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…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on January 19, released a study showing that in New York and California, both vaccination and prior infection offered protection against COVID-19, but those who had recovered from COVID-19 were less likely than vaccinated individuals to get infected during the Delta…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 19 that beginning January 27, 2022, for applicable deemed program surveys in progress on that day, it will begin surveying to the “Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination” interim final rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As…

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Editor's Note This study by researchers from Germany and South Africa finds that booster injections with mRNA vaccines failed to block the Omicron variant. This study of the first documented breakthrough infections with the Omicron variant in fully vaccinated individuals after receipt of booster vaccine doses demonstrates Omicron’s ability to…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 19 identified the recall by Getinge of its Vaporizer Sevoflurane Maquet Filling for Flow Family Anesthesia Systems as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of the potential chemical breakdown of Sevoflurane that may result in inhalation…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, finds that the use of ambulatory care services between March 2020 and February 2021 increased after an initial decrease with the onset of COVID-19. However, the rate of increase was significantly lower for Medicaid and/or Medicare…

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