Tag: Patient Safety

CDC: COVID-19 cases rising again nationwide

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) COVID-19 data tracker weekly review published April 8 shows that cases are rising again nationwide, for the first time since January, the April 8 Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The 7-day case average as of April 6 was 26,596, which is…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 11, 2022
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Tracking HCW turnover during COVID-19 pandemic

Editor's Note In this study, researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, find that turnover among nearly all segments of the healthcare workforce has not yet fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, with turnover rates among long-term care workers and physicians worsening over time. Of…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 11, 2022
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Researchers develop highly accurate 30-second COVID-19 test

Editor's Note Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) have helped develop a testing device that can detect COVID-19 infection within 30 seconds, with the sensitivity and accuracy of a PCR test. The hand-held device is powered by a 9-volt battery and uses test strips similar to those used in…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 11, 2022
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Attacks on healthcare in the Ukraine war

Editor's Note As of March 31, there have been 82 attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Ukraine that have resulted in 72 deaths and 43 injuries, and most attacks involved the use of heavy weapons against healthcare facilities, personnel, patients, and medical supplies, according to this JAMA Viewpoint article,…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 6, 2022
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Proteins in saliva aid in detecting COVID-19, predicting severe illness

Editor's Note Researchers from the University of Utah Health, who have identified a family of proteins that are significantly elevated in the saliva of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, presented their findings at American Physiological Society annual meeting, held during the Experimental Biology 2022 meeting in Philadelphia April 4. The proteins, named…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 6, 2022
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FDA: Reprocessing changes for certain Karl Storz urological endoscopes

Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 4 issued a letter to healthcare providers and users saying the agency is aware that current reprocessing instructions for certain urological endoscopes manufactured by Karl Storz are inadequate and are being updated by the company. In the letter, the FDA…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 5, 2022
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Moral injury similar between combat veterans and COVID-19 HCWs

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…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 5, 2022
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Bacterial contamination of HCWs smartphones before, during COVID-19

Editor's Note This German study finds that bacterial contamination of healthcare workers’ (HCWs’) smartphones can be a source of cross-contamination, and cleaning intensity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 295 HCWs (99 in 2012 and 196 in 2021) from 26 wards comprising 19 different specialties included in the analysis, bacterial…

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By: Judy Mathias
April 4, 2022
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Protection against COVID-19 after vaccination, previous infection

Editor's Note This study from the UK finds that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were associated with high short-term protection, but this protection waned considerably after 6 months; whereas, infection-acquired immunity boosted with vaccination remained high more than 1 year after COVID-19 infection. Of 35,768 participants analyzed, 9,488 (27%)…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 31, 2022
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Risk factors for COVID-19 in HCWs

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…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 31, 2022
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