New Joint Commission Speak Up program on telehealth
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 31 announced a new patient safety campaign to help patients understand telehealth visits, titled: “Speak Up At Your Telehealth Visit.” Educational resources for the Speak Up program include: an infographic poster/flyer an animated video a distribution guide on how to provide the materials…
Efficacy of metformin, ivermectin, fluvoxamine for COVID-19
Editor's Note This phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, finds that none of three medications evaluated—metformin, ivermectin, or fluvoxamine—prevented the occurrence of a primary event—hypoxemia, an emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization, or death—associated with COVID-19. Of 1,323 patients analyzed, a primary…
FDA: Class I recall of Intera 3000 Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on August 29 identified the recall by Intera Oncology of its Intera 3000 Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump as Class I, the most serious. The company is recalling the pumps after receiving reports from clinicians that the pumps were delivering medication faster than expected.…
Moral distress in healthcare providers working in safety net practices during COVID-19
Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, finds that nearly 72% of healthcare providers in US safety net practices experienced either mild or intense levels of moral distress during the first year of COVID-19 because of issues with patient…
ECRI announces guidance on supporting healthcare worker resilience
Editor's Note ECRI, on August 29, announced its new guidance on “Supporting Resilience in Healthcare Workers” that was published on August 15 for its members. With a new focus on protecting healthcare workers against burnout and other behavioral health issues, new strategies for protecting and maintaining resilience have emerged, ECRI…
Work readiness of new RNs
Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers at Novant Health, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, examines the work readiness of newly licensed RNs. Work readiness is the extent to which newly graduated nurses possess qualities and competencies linked to job satisfaction…
Amazon shutting down its healthcare service
Editor's Note Amazon is shutting down Amazon Care by the end of the year, the August 24 Washington Post reports. Amazon Care was initially started as an internal healthcare offering for Amazon employees, but currently, it is available to employees of half a dozen corporate customers. Workers were told their healthcare…
COVID-19 outbreak in acute care hospital linked to vaccine breakthrough
Editor's Note This study by researchers in South Korea analyzes a COVID-19 outbreak caused by vaccine breakthrough infections in a hospital where 91.9% of healthcare workers were vaccinated. In addition, it was mandatory that all healthcare workers and caregivers wear masks or respirators at all times except when eating. During…
ANSI/AAMI ST98 provides cleaning validation requirements for device manufacturers
Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) on August 24 announced the publication of a new standard: “ANSI/AAMI ST98:2022, Cleaning validation of health care products—Requirements for development and validation of a cleaning process for medical devices.” The new standard not only provides manufacturers with a formalized…
Impact of COVID-19 on surgical cases for urology resident training
Editor's Note This study from researchers at the Urology Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, examines the impact of COVID-19 on surgical cases for urology residents and finds that despite widespread disruptions in surgical care, there will likely be minimal detriment to training over time. Using data from the Accreditation…
