Editor's Note Wrong-site surgeries are on the rise, and insufficient surgical time outs are a key contributor, according to new data highlighted by AORN on June 10 in honor of this year’s National Time Out Day on June 11. Based on The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Data 2023 Annual Review,…

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Editor's Note Hospitals are ramping up in-house pharmacy operations to boost revenue and improve care, but high US manufacturing costs continue to stall a broader federal effort to reshore drug production, Modern Healthcare June 5 reports. As detailed in the article, an aging, medically complex population is driving demand for…

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Editor's Note Healthcare employment in the US rose by 62,000 from May to June, according to a June 6 announcement from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The unemployment rate, meanwhile, is unchanged at 4.2%—a narrow range that has been maintained since May 2024. In May, healthcare employment also trended…

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Editor's Note Pain among patients undergoing in-office gynecologic procedures is widely underestimated and ineffectively treated, particularly for those with trauma histories, chronic pain, or marginalized identities, according to a new Clinical Consensus from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The report stresses that individualized, evidence-informed, and trauma-sensitive strategies are…

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Editor's Note An actionable, evidence-based toolkit from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), released in April 2025, aims to help curb the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and surgical site infections (SSIs), especially in high-risk orthopedic and cardiac procedures. As detailed in the AHRQ website, the “Toolkit…

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Patient safety and regulatory compliance demand thoroughly vetting those tasked with preventing healthcare-associated infections. But which certification is the right fit? Those who are new to infection control have a wide range of options for verifying their newly acquired expertise. More seasoned infection preventionists (IPs) also have a number of…

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Editor's Note Perioperative nurse leaders like you are getting the spotlight you deserve during National Nurses Week, May 6–12! This week is not only about recognition, but also about equipping you with tools to grow your practice and lead with confidence. In honor of your impact on surgical patients, staff,…

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Editor's Note Preadmission clinics (PACs) are supporting perioperative care by reducing complications, shortening hospital stays, and improving surgical outcomes—particularly for high-risk patients. As detailed in the April 2025 edition of ASA Monitor from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), PACs operate as multidisciplinary outpatient hubs where medical optimization, risk assessment,…

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Editor’s Note Tertiary hospitals are embracing the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC), yet inconsistent compliance—especially during time-out—exposes patients to avoidable risks, Cureus April 29 reports. In this study, the researchers found that while overall integration of the SSC is promising, there were compliance gaps particularly in pre-incision…

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Editor's Note Nearly 140,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022, and 40% of the remaining workforce plans to exit by 2029, according to the 2024 National Nursing Workforce Study from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). According to an April 17 announcement from NCSBN, the survey…

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