Editor's Note The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) has updated the Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Acute Care Hospitals, which was published in 2014. The update highlights practical recommendations designed to assist acute-care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. Among…

Read More

Editor's Note A new study led by Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, finds that representation of surgeon-scientists among investigators awarded grant funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains at 2% over 25 years, despite surgical diseases comprising 30% of the global disease burden. This cross-sectional…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on May 24, announced that it was eliminating the term licensed independent practitioner from its Ambulatory Health Care and Office-Based Surgery accreditation programs, beginning August 27. The revisions are consistent with terminology used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Conditions for Coverage and…

Read More

Editor's Note According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percent of employment growth from 2021 and projected to 2031 for nursing and operating room-related occupations include: Nurse practitioners—45.7% Physician assistants—27.6% Nurse anesthetists—11.8% Nurse midwives—7.5% Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses—6.3% Registered nurses—6.2% Surgical technologists—5.9% Nursing assistants—4.7 Surgeons—3.4% Anesthesiologists—1.1%.

Read More

Editor's Note This Israeli study finds that antibody levels were associated with protection against infection with the COVID-19 Omicron variant in vaccinated healthcare workers (HCWs). Participants included 2,310 HCWs who had received 3 or 4 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The odds of infection and substantial symptomatic disease caused…

Read More

Takeaways • Supporting nurse leaders is just as important as supporting staff to achieve optimal patient care and a financially healthy organization. • Organizations can support nurse leaders in many ways, including providing recognition, ancillary support, creative schedule options, and professional development opportunities. • Novice managers need structured programs to…

Read More

Takeaways • This buddy program works for all levels of an organization and for anyone who is starting to do something new in a leadership role. • New leaders often feel like they are being “thrown into the deep end,” and having buddies can help them feel safe. • The…

Read More

A quick internet search on the importance and impact of survey data in healthcare generates a plethora of results. Making the query more specific—the importance and impact of survey data in surgical services, and the wealth of information is much the same. The results are mostly about surveys conducted on…

Read More

May was a month of renewal and fresh beginnings that was also dedicated to Mental Health Awareness. This past month provided a timely reminder to first assess our own well-being as leaders so often focused on the contributions and performance of others. Last month was also an opportunity to pulse…

Read More

There is an abundance of wellness programs in American workplaces. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 46% of 2,843 employer worksites offered some type of wellness program or health promotion. Hospitals are high users: 83% of the hospital respondents said they provided a workplace wellness…

Read More