Recovery of smell, taste after COVID-19 may take 6 months
Editor's Note This meta-analysis led by researchers at the National University of Singapore finds that recovery of the ability to taste and smell after COVID-19 infection may take up to 6 months, and women are more likely to experience loss of these senses and have a longer time to recovery.…
FDA: Hospira recalls one lot of Propofol
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on July 13, posted a nationwide recall by Hospira Inc (a Pfizer Company) of one lot (DX9067) of Propofol Injectable Emulsion, USP (containing Benzyl alcohol), 100 mL single patient use glass fliptop vial. The recall was initiated because of visible particulate observed…
Weekend elective surgery program reduces COVID-19 backlog
Editor's Note This Canadian study finds that hospitals impacted by COVID-19 can reduce their surgical backlogs by scheduling elective surgeries on the weekends. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers demonstrated that even after resuming their usual level of surgical cases, the wait list would not decrease without a substantial increase…
US News posts best hospitals for 2022-2023
Editor's Note US News & World Report on July 26 posted its 2022-2023 Best Hospitals rankings, highlighting the top 20 hospitals named to its Honor Roll for delivering exceptional care across many specialties. For the seventh consecutive year, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, ranked number one. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,…
Is nurse staffing legislation in the public’s interest?
Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, FAAN, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that if New York state enacts nurse staffing legislation currently under consideration, many lives would be saved and shorter hospital stays…
CMS updates Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2022
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 27 updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2022—giving 429 hospitals a five-star rating, based on their performance across five quality categories, the July 27 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. There also were: 890 hospitals that received a…
Cancer treatment delays in COVID-19 patients
Cancer treatment delays in COVID-19 patients This large prospective cohort study from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, found that multiple patient factors, underlying primary malignant neoplasm, multimorbidity, geographic location, receipt of vaccine, and COVID-19 severity and diagnosis date were linked to delays in cancer treatment during…
FDA: Class I recall of Baxter’s Abacus software app
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 25 identified the recall by Baxter Healthcare Corporation of its Abacus Order Entry and Calculation Software application as Class I, the most serious. The Abacus software app can translate a physician’s order into a compounded solution. The recall was initiated…
Study: Nurse diversity may reduce risk of maternal health issues
Editor’s Note A study from Columbia University researchers finds that hiring a more diverse nurse workforce may assist in combating “racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes” and reduce risk of maternal health issues, NBC News July 20 reports. According to the study published by the American Journal of…
A team approach to reducing instrumentation, costs during the age of COVID-19
ORs rebounding from the financial impact of COVID-19 are looking for ways to reduce expenses. With rising costs coming from all angles of the economy, some have adopted systemwide processes to reduce, streamline, and improve surgical instrumentation sets. Two major health systems, the Cleveland Clinic and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital…
