Editor's Note The FBI on August 22 warned healthcare workers of ongoing fraud schemes where scammers impersonate law enforcement and government officials in an effort to extort money or steal personally identifiable information (PII), Healthcare Purchasing News August 24 reports. By researching a medical practice’s website or social media, scammers…

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Editor's Note This meta-analysis led by researchers in Spain finds that regular physical activity is associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection, severity, and mortality. The analysis included 1,853,610 adults from multiple countries worldwide—54% were women, and the average age was 53. Compared with physically inactive individuals, those who…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at Kaiser Permanente, Southern California, Pasadena, finds that masking mandates had a significant role in influencing people to wear masks during COVID-19. A total of 109,999 individuals in 126 US cities were included in the analysis. Data were collected by 231 students affiliated with…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, finds that healthcare facilities in counties with higher Black composition and rural areas with large Hispanic populations were less likely to serve as COVID-19 vaccine administration locations during the initial rollout in May 2021. At that…

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Editor's Note This study led by nurse researchers Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, FAAN, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, finds that if New York state enacts nurse staffing legislation currently under consideration, many lives would be saved and shorter hospital stays…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 25 identified the recall by Baxter Healthcare Corporation of its Abacus Order Entry and Calculation Software application as Class I, the most serious. The Abacus software app can translate a physician’s order into a compounded solution. The recall was initiated…

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In 2021, Patient Safety in Surgery published the article, “Incidence and OR team awareness of near-miss and retained surgical sharps: A national survey on United States operating rooms,” from a nationwide survey with over 400 surgeons, anesthesiologists, OR nurses and surgical technologists on the frequency of lost and retained sharps.…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 20 announced a new “Healthcare Workforce Safety and Well-Being” website that provides resources to help healthcare workers (HCWs) advance the safety and resiliency of the organization. The website provides links to materials developed by The Joint Commission and healthcare-related organizations such as the…

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Editor's Note This study from the UK and France finds that sleep quality and circadian rhythms in night shift workers were poorer than in those who worked day shifts, even if they had been working the night shift for years. The analysis compares 63 night shift workers, working three or…

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Editor's Note This study, led by the University of Miami and sponsored by the CDC, finds that unvaccinated first responders (eg, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and others) were more likely to develop COVID-19 and less likely to believe in the effectiveness and safety of vaccines than their vaccinated counterparts. Of…

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