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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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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Imagine completely eliminating surgical site infections (SSIs) without significantly disrupting perioperative workflows. At Magic Valley Regional Medical Center (MVMC), a mid-sized community hospital in Twin Falls, Idaho, a nurse-led pilot project accomplished just that for breast and colorectal surgeries. As for other procedures, overall infection rates are down by nearly…

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Editor's Note Nurses who don’t get enough sleep face a significantly higher risk of common infections, including colds, pneumonia, and bronchitis, according to a March 10 report from HealthDay. The article focuses on a study published in Chronobiology International finding that sleep debt—particularly among night shift nurses—weakens immune defenses, potentially…

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Editor's Note A newly developed predictive model offers healthcare professionals a dynamic tool to assess the risk of nosocomial infections (NIs) in patients following colon cancer surgery, potentially improving early intervention strategies. Published February 27 in Frontiers in Oncology, the study introduces a nomogram—a statistical model that visualizes key risk…

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Editor's Note Using electronic medical record (EMR) data to track time-stamped information on patient movements and interaction with healthcare workers (HCWs) can help predict and block potential avenues for pathogen transmission, researchers claim. Healio reported the news January 24. Published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the research…

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Editor's Note Research shows antibiotic-resistant infections could lead to 8.2 million deaths annually by 2050, representing a 75% increase from current rates, according to a September 17 article in HealthDay. Published in the Lancet, the new study highlights the growing threat of growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), predicting that…

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Editor's Note Optimizing patient positioning can help reduce the risk of surgical site infections due to airborne contaminants in positive-pressure ORs, according to a study published August 12 in Nature: Scientific Reports. Maintaining higher pressure than adjacent spaces prevents entry of contaminants from environments external to the OR. For this…

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Editor's Note New findings highlight an urgent need to improve preventive measures against animal-borne diseases jumping to humans and potentially causing another global pandemic, US Today reported on July 21. The article details a study from  Harvard Law School and New York University that examined animal-human interactions in 15 countries,…

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Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm about the rise of the bird flu virus—H5N1—and the threat it poses to humans, Medical Xpress reported on April 18. Experts are concerned because the bird flu has recently spread from wild birds and poultry to cows and goats…

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