Editor's Note New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy, on May 8, signed legislation that criminalizes threats against healthcare workers (HCWs), the May 9 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The “Health Care Heroes Violence Prevention Act,” makes it a disorderly person offense to threaten any HCW, “with the intent to intimidate, interfere with,…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on April 12, issued a Safety Communication recommending that consumers, healthcare providers, and facilities not use certain surgical N95 respirators and to use caution with certain surgical masks and pediatric face masks, all manufactured by O&M Halyard. The FDA says it is…

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Editor's Note In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, find that violence-related trauma increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trauma registry data on 2,563 violence-related patient presentations in Connecticut from 2018 to 2021 were included in the analysis. The researchers found a: 55% increase in violence-related…

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Editor's Note This Canadian study finds an association between shift work and frailty among middle-aged and older workers, especially for women on rotating shifts. The researchers looked at 52 factors that can likely lower lifespan. Mildly frail individuals have at least 5 factors, and very frail individuals have at least…

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Editor's Note This study from Sweden finds that sleeping less than 5 hours a night is associated with an increased likelihood of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), compared with sleeping 7 to 8 hours. The study included more than 650,000 participants and was conducted in two parts. The first analyzed…

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Editor's Note Nurse.org’s new 2023 State of Nursing Report, released March 8, finds that although 60% of nurses love being a nurse, 62% are concerned about the future of nursing. Other findings of the report include: Nurses are dealing with slightly less burnout, mental health problems, lack of support, and…

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Editor's Note California health officials, on March 3, announced plans to relax guidance on masking in healthcare and other indoor high-risk settings and to end vaccination requirements for healthcare workers, effective April 3, the March 3 Los Angeles Times reports. Also, starting March 13, those who test positive for COVID-19…

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Takeaways Gun-related violence is an increasing threat in healthcare settings, including perianesthesia departments and ASCs. Small hospitals and ACS are not immune to active shooter events. New requirements from The Joint Commission require planning and preparation for active shooter events. Elizabeth Dalton, BSN, RN, will never forget the day her…

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Editor's Note Workplace violence is a current obstacle nurses and healthcare workers face every day, reports December 29 Becker's Hospital Review.  In response, Healthcare communities have urged Congress to pass legislation to diminish any violent threats or attacks on hospital workers. Statistics on workplace violence against nurses, based on data…

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Takeaways Many OR managers said they were overdue for a survey by The Joint Commission because of the pandemic. The Joint Commission is said to be 3,000 surveys behind. More checklists are being used by surveyors, which are available in The Joint Commission’s Perspectives and EC News newsletters. New in…

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