Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) on January 18 released a revised American National Standard that includes new information for manufacturers and users of personal protective equipment (PPE). The new edition of “ANSI/AAMI PB70:2022, Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended…

Read More

Editor's Note This study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that scrub color is a valuable identification tool, and it is associated with patients’ perceptions of surgeons. An electronic survey was administered to patients and visitors at the University of North Carolina Medical Center in Chapel…

Read More

Editor's Note In response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) relaxation of recommendations for universal healthcare personnel masking, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) on October 3 strongly urged its 15,000 members to continue masking in patient care areas. Requiring masks for anyone…

Read More

Editor's Note This study led by researchers in the UK finds that face shields do not give high levels of protection against external droplet contamination. The researchers compared 13 styles of face shields in controlled laboratory settings, using a “coughing machine” that ejected fluorescent drops onto manikin heads. Among the…

Read More

Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, finds that methylene blue with light (MBL) photochemical treatment can be used to decontaminate personal protective equipment (PPE) contaminated with COVID-19. MBL robustly and consistently inactivated three coronaviruses, including COVID-19, with 99.8% to >99.9% virus inactivation across…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, find that face-mask compliance remained suboptimal among healthcare workers (HCWs) despite a facility-wide mandate for universal masking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 1,561 observations during a 4-week baseline period after universal masking was mandated, median weekly…

Read More

Orientation is the backbone of a sustainable workforce. Part 2 of OR Manager’s two-part series focuses on the orientation of experienced and per diem nurses, social onboarding, and how the pandemic has affected orientation, post-orientation efforts, and evaluation.   Experienced nurses Experienced OR nurses are typically placed on the fast…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study, nurse researchers from DePaul University in Chicago document the emotions of 100 nurses throughout the US who cared for patients during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the findings: Nurses described many forms of frustration while providing patient care, such as frustration with healthcare…

Read More

Editor's Note This collaborative study by researchers at Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, finds that COVID-19 healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced high rates of moral injury, comparable to rates among military veterans. Moral injuries are described as actions that conflict with values and beliefs, causing psychological…

Read More

Editor's Note This French study finds that contact with COVID-19 patients was not the highest risk of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs). Of 3,234 HCWs enrolled in the study, 120 (3.8%) contracted COVID-19. The highest risk factors were contact with relatives or other HCWs  with COVID-19. Multivariate analysis showed that…

Read More