Editor's Note A report issued May 2 by the American Nurses Association (ANA) addresses three issues nurses have struggled with for decades—staffing shortages, mandatory overtime, and safety—but, these issues have reached a tipping point in the COVID-19 pandemic, ANA says. ANA notes that: Staff shortages due to cost-cutting, an aging…

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Editor's Note On April 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated an April 2020 “Risk Adjustment Telehealth and Telephone Services During COVID-19 FAQs” notice to extend telehealth and telephone-only services in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) risk adjustment program, the American Hospital Association (AHA)…

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Editor's Note This study from the UK finds that cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age. The researchers analyzed data from 46 patients who received in-hospital care on a ward or in the ICU; 16 patients were…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced May 3 that applications are now being accepted for the second annual Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity. This award, created by The Joint Commission and Kaiser Permanente, recognizes advancements in reducing healthcare disparities in the name of…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 28 a Class 1 recall of the Point of Care Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test “because it may have been distributed to unauthorized laboratories,” the American Hospital Association (AHA) May 2 reports. A Class 1 recall is “the…

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Editor's Note This study, led by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds that symptomatic individuals with an initial negative home antigen test should test again 1 to 2 days later because test sensitivity peaks several days after COVID-19 onset. In 225 adults and children with…

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Editor's Note According to a multi-institutional study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, titled “Effectiveness of 2-Dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer BioNTech) mRNA Vaccine in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children Aged 5–11 Years and Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years” and published on March 18, two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine…

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Editor's Note In 2020, the American Nurses Association expanded National Nurses Week to National Nurses Month to increase opportunities to elevate and celebrate nursing. National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme this year is “Nurses Make a Difference.” The American…

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Editor's Note This study from Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, finds that COVID-19 testing and contact tracing are beneficial among African Americans, but mistrust, COVID-19 stigma, location, and perceived costs are major barriers. Of 62 study participants, the majority (69.4%) were female, had never been tested (62.9%), and had an…

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Editor's Note In response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) interim final rule regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers (HCWs), The Joint Commission has approved a new Infection Prevention and Control (IC) Standard IC.02.04.02 and new elements of performance, the regulator announced on April 27. The new…

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