Editor's Note A session at the 2025 Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) Annual Conference used a striking analogy, comparing the Kentucky Derby to the daily operations of a sterile processing department (SPD) to energize professionals and reframe persistent challenges in the field, Infection Control Today April 27 reports. The article…

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Editor's Note Tenet Healthcare and HCA Healthcare delivered robust first-quarter (Q1) earnings, bolstered by steady inpatient demand and operational discipline—but both hospital giants are treading carefully amid policy and market uncertainties, according to earnings reports covered by Healthcare Dive on April 28 and Trading View on April 29. Tenet reported…

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Editor's Note Long COVID strikes healthcare and dental workers at far higher rates than the general population, according to an April 23 article from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. As detailed in the article, two recent international studies reveal that 40%…

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Editor's Note Female surgeons achieve better long-term outcomes for surgical patients—especially for female patients—according to a large national study published April 23 in JAMA Surgery. Using US Medicare data from over 2.2 million older adults, researchers found that patients of female surgeons had lower mortality rates and, for women, fewer…

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In the OR, precision and focus can mean the difference between life and death. However, surgical patient outcomes hinge on more than the competence of those working in these inherently intense environments. Every procedure also depends on the laborious, behind-the-scenes efforts of the people responsible for ensuring every surgical instrument…

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Editor's Note Hospital units with more RNs and fewer long shifts experience significantly lower rates of staff sickness absence, while understaffing and long shifts drive nurse illness, according research published April 22 in JAMA Network. The retrospective longitudinal case-control study involved 18,674 RNs and nursing support (NS) staff across 116…

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Editor's Note A recent article in HealthLeaders profiles an innovative approach to alleviating nurse burnout—one that the outlet calls “a four-legged answer to nurse wellbeing.” Launched in 2020 at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Buckeye Paws program brings certified therapy dogs directly to nursing units, offering nonjudgmental,…

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Editor's Note Ambulatory surgery center (ASC) leaders elevate safety by treating patient selection as a clinical gatekeeper, then prop that rigor with data-driven workflows, advanced monitoring, and targeted robotics to bring complex spine cases safely into the outpatient space. An interview with Glenn Snyders Jr, MD, medical director and head…

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Editor's Note Eating during the day instead of at night may protect shift workers from harmful cardiovascular effects, according to an April 17 report in Medscape on new research from Mass General Brigham. Researchers found that the timing of meals—not just their content—directly influences cardiac and clotting function in adults…

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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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