As state authorities begin to ease restrictions imposed by COVID-19, physicians, nurse leaders, and administrators face a momentous challenge: resuming elective surgical procedures that have been postponed for several weeks or months. How will they accommodate the looming glut of elective surgery demand with limited infrastructure and staff who are…

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Proactive leadership, early preparation, and ongoing planning and communication have helped mitigate COVID-19 threats at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida. As a result, resuming elective surgical cases in early May was a relatively seamless process thanks to process improvements made before the pandemic hit. “We started working on COVID-19…

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While responding to demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, perioperative leaders are busy preparing staff and departments for life after the initial shock subsides. Chief among their preparations are strategies to address the glut of demand for surgery due to postponement of elective and nonessential surgical procedures. Naturally, many focus on…

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Far fewer cases of COVID-19 have been seen in rural areas of the US than in large urban populations. But even healthcare facilities not inundated with COVID-19 patients have sustained revenue losses and disruptions in standard procedures. One major advantage for Heartland Surgery Center in Kearney, Nebraska, was seeing the…

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Editor's Note COVID-19 causes a global threat to the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, and neurologic symptoms may appear before symptoms, such as fever, cough, or respiratory problems, finds this study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. This analysis found that about half of hospitalized patients…

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Editor's Note The Mayo Clinic on June 11 announced that it had launched a new SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody test that will be available to select labs, blood banks, and biopharma clients in late June. The test measures the level of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Neutralizing…

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Editor's Note Reusable elastomeric masks provide a more durable, less costly, longer term option than N95 masks for healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study finds. Within 1 month of implementing the elastomeric mask program at the Allegheny Health Network’s nine-hospital system in Pennsylvania and Western New York, the…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on June 13 released updated recommendations for COVID-19 testing, including interim testing guidelines for nursing home residents and healthcare personnel. Recommendations also include testing strategies for high-density critical infrastructure workplaces after a COVID-19 case is identified. The consolidated recommendations for…

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Editor's Note Within 6 to 8 weeks of the COVID-19-outbreak, a small proportion of anesthesiologists and intensive care providers reported COVID-19 symptoms after a work-related exposure, and fewer had detectable COVID-19 antibodies, this study finds. Of 105 anesthesiologists and intensive care providers at New York City’s Columbia University Irving Medical…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 10 issued a new Quick Safety: “Promoting psychosocial well-being of healthcare staff during crisis.” The Joint Commission says it’s critical that healthcare organizations have systems in place to support institutional and individual resilience to mitigate and respond to the psychological toll of crises…

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