May/June 2026 Issue of Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
On Cover
The current state of nursing | 2026
In 2026, registered nurse satisfaction has fallen again, turnover has risen, and more than half of nurses report experiencing workplace violence. However, demand to enter nursing remains strong, and many universities are turning away qualified candidates due to space constraints. Experiences nurses are also willing to return to the bedside and new data also linked nursing investment to stronger hospital operating margins.
The 54 hospitals to win grants for special pathogen readiness
Fifty-four hospitals have received grants to build on their preparedness for special pathogens and join a national network of treatment centers committed to preparing for, monitoring and treating high-consequence infections and diseases of unknown origin.
AI’s role in combating antibiotic resistance: 4 things to know
Antibiotic resistance is accelerating globally, with more than a million deaths each year and nearly 5 million more linked to resistant infections. More than 39 million deaths are projected to occur as a result of antibiotic-resistant infections between 2025 and 2050.
6 ways hospitals are becoming safer: Leapfrog
Safety data from hundreds of U.S. hospitals shows progress across several measures, and patient experience is improving, too, according to The Leapfrog Group.
25 hospitals with the highest SEP-1 scores: CMS
Twenty-five hospitals achieved SEP-1 scores of 95 or above in the 12-month period ending in June 2025, according to new CMS data.
5 ways AI is reshaping the patient experience
Every day we are bombarded with information and speculation on what the advent of artificial intelligence means for healthcare. In this blizzard of information, it’s sometimes difficult to separate fact from hype.
5 top patient safety hospitals on initiatives that work
In March, Healthgrades recognized 438 hospitals in 40 states that excel in quality care while preventing serious safety events during hospital stays. These hospitals represent the top 10% in the nation for patient safety.
The patient safety ‘iceberg’: What reporting dashboards miss
Health system leaders have built increasingly sophisticated infrastructure for tracking and improving patient safety outcomes. Yet, a visibility gap remains that data alone can’t close: the near misses, workarounds and bedside observations that never make it into the reporting pipeline at all.
Loyola Medicine CEO: Demand hospital boards prioritize safety, quality
Safety, quality and financial performance are inseparable for hospitals — and boards of directors and C-suites need to act on all three, according to Shawn Vincent, president and CEO of Maywood, Ill.-based Loyola Medicine and St. Joseph Health System.
How this Baptist Memorial hospital rounds 350 patients in 30 minutes
In the spring of 2025, Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis (Tenn.) leaders launched a new huddle system that improved physician satisfaction, patient experience and cut length of stay.
Healthcare’s culture of silence is breaking: 4 notes
Nearly one-third of clinicians say they now speak up when witnessing potentially harmful behavior by colleagues — up from 10% in 2005 — highlighting both progress and persistent safety culture gaps, according to 2025 survey data published March 26 in the American Journal of Critical Care.
Ascension drives quality, access wins with ‘digital nudges’
Over the past few years, Ascension has increased mammograms by 10,000 and colon cancer screenings by 40,000 by using text-based “digital nudge” programs that prompt patients to schedule and complete care.
A novel C. diff vaccine shows promise
Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health researchers have developed a promising novel vaccine to treat Clostridioides difficile infections.
Infection Control
The 54 hospitals to win grants for special pathogen readiness
Fifty-four hospitals have received grants to build on their preparedness for special pathogens and join a national network of treatment centers committed to preparing for, monitoring and treating high-consequence infections and diseases of unknown origin.
Measles a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for other infectious disease outbreaks
Epidemiologists are warning that the recent rise in measles cases could portend other disease outbreaks, The Washington Post reported Feb. 24.
A novel C. diff vaccine shows promise
Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health researchers have developed a promising novel vaccine to treat Clostridioides difficile infections.
AI’s role in combating antibiotic resistance: 4 things to know
Antibiotic resistance is accelerating globally, with more than a million deaths each year and nearly 5 million more linked to resistant infections. More than 39 million deaths are projected to occur as a result of antibiotic-resistant infections between 2025 and 2050.
Infectious disease fellowships see decline in applicants, filled spots
As measles outbreaks continue to worsen across the U.S., the percentage of physicians seeking fellowships in infectious diseases is shrinking, according to data from the National Resident Matching Program.
Patient safety and outcomes
5 top patient safety hospitals on initiatives that work
In March, Healthgrades recognized 438 hospitals in 40 states that excel in quality care while preventing serious safety events during hospital stays. These hospitals represent the top 10% in the nation for patient safety.
Why hospitals are opening post-ICU clinics
Hospitals are increasingly recognizing the value of dedicated clinics to support the more than half of intensive care unit survivors who experience “post-intensive care syndrome,” KFF Health News reported April 10.
Healthcare’s culture of silence is breaking: 4 notes
Nearly one-third of clinicians say they now speak up when witnessing potentially harmful behavior by colleagues — up from 10% in 2005 — highlighting both progress and persistent safety culture gaps, according to 2025 survey data published March 26 in the American Journal of Critical Care.
6 ways hospitals are becoming safer: Leapfrog
Safety data from hundreds of U.S. hospitals shows progress across several measures, and patient experience is improving, too, according to The Leapfrog Group.
Hospital shootings rose 8.4% annually from 2012 to 2024: Study
The rate of hospital-based shootings in the U.S. has grown steadily since 2012, with researchers warning that nearly a third of incidents could be prevented with weapons screening, according to a study published May 4 in JAMA Network Open.
Quality improvement & measurement
How this Baptist Memorial hospital rounds 350 patients in 30 minutes
In the spring of 2025, Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis (Tenn.) leaders launched a new huddle system that improved physician satisfaction, patient experience and cut length of stay.
Ascension drives quality, access wins with ‘digital nudges’
Over the past few years, Ascension has increased mammograms by 10,000 and colon cancer screenings by 40,000 by using text-based “digital nudge” programs that prompt patients to schedule and complete care.
Birthday cards are just the start: Inside AdventHealth’s hospitality strategy
In 2018, Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth set out to redefine what healthcare could look like by asking consumers a simple question: What does an ideal healthcare setting feel like?
Amid legal dispute, Leapfrog debuts ‘full transparency’ badges
After omitting about 450 U.S. hospitals from its Spring 2026 safety grades, The Leapfrog Group rolled out “full transparency” badges for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers that submit all sections of Leapfrog’s surveys.
25 hospitals with the highest SEP-1 scores: CMS
Twenty-five hospitals achieved SEP-1 scores of 95 or above in the 12-month period ending in June 2025, according to new CMS data.
Patient and caregiver experience
The current state of nursing | 2026
In 2026, registered nurse satisfaction has fallen again, turnover has risen, and more than half of nurses report experiencing workplace violence. However, demand to enter nursing remains strong, and many universities are turning away qualified candidates due to space constraints. Experiences nurses are also willing to return to the bedside and new data also linked nursing investment to stronger hospital operating margins.
5 ways AI is reshaping the patient experience
Every day we are bombarded with information and speculation on what the advent of artificial intelligence means for healthcare. In this blizzard of information, it’s sometimes difficult to separate fact from hype.
CommonSpirit’s ‘single source of truth’ for patient experience
For Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, integrating patient experience into operations centers on collaboration among executives, nursing, physician and operational leaders to align measurement with quality and safety priorities. Data is central to that approach, with the organization operating from what Camille Haycock, senior vice president of patient experience and chief patient experience officer at CommonSpirit, calls a “single source of truth” for patient experience data across the system.
The current state of the physician workforce: 9 notes
Physician burnout is declining and systems are finding new ways to recruit physicians without raising pay, but international physicians are in limbo amid visa renewal delays. There are just a few things to know about the physician workforce in 2026.
RN pay by state, adjusted for cost of living
California has the highest hourly mean wage for registered nurses in the U.S., while Oregon has the highest hourly mean wage for RNs when adjusted for cost of living, according to data released May 15 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.