Health systems spend millions obtaining the latest technology to create state-of-the-art facilities and to build reputations for quality and innovation. But failing to maintain consistency in relatively low-tech, low-cost infection prevention strategies like hand hygiene can undermine reputation, patient outcomes and the financial bottom line across all practice areas.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognized 15 nurses for "solution-oriented" approaches to mitigate workplace challenges on March 28. 

Health officials are sounding the alarm over a lack of new drugs in the pipeline to combat antibiotic resistance, warning the globe could face a "doomsday scenario" if more effort isn't invested in new drug development, NBC News reported March 29. 

The CDC updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidance, stating that one updated dose is enough even for individuals who received their last vaccination more than six months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle reported March 28.

In the year since RaDonda Vaught was convicted for a fatal medical error, much has been said from leaders at all levels of healthcare about the need to build a strong culture of safety and empower front-line workers to report errors. 

Here are 29 organizations launching or expanding nursing programs:

A school shooting that left six dead in Nashville, Tenn.,took place just 10 minutes away from the office of Ryan Mire, MD, president of the American College of Physicians, prompting him to join other health leaders in condemning gun violence. 

Health officials in China have reported a positively identified case of H3N8 avian flu, according to a March 27 report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

In a recent press release, Healthmark Industries was delighted to introduce the Quality Audit Tray Label to its Labeling product line.

The virus that causes COVID-19 has the ability to alter the genome structure of cells, which may play a role in long COVID-19, according to new findings from researchers at UTHealth Houston. 

Herb Watson, CRNA, a "living legend" in nurse anesthesia education, died March 7 at age 94.

The International Council of Nurses has declared nurse shortages to be a global health emergency, with 13 million nurses needing to be replaced globally in the coming years.

The CDC has recently called attention to the growing threat posed by Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus that spreads rapidly in healthcare facilities and can cause severe illness among immunocompromised people. 

If another public health crisis struck tomorrow, how would each state fare?

Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health's internal travel nurse program grew threefold during the pandemic, CNBC reported March 28.

State health officials cited St. Luke's Hospital-Monroe Campus for failing to properly monitor a patient experiencing suicidal ideation, The Morning Call reported March 27.

Below are five hospitals, health systems or hospital operators that have recently posted job listings for chief quality officers. 

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians released its 2022 awards for EMS services, which the association develops from nominations. 

U.S. Catholic bishops issued a guideline March 20 that encourages Catholic hospitals to not offer gender-affirming medical treatments. 

It's time for healthcare organizations to label health inequities as "never events" and abandon the idea that eliminating them is a "journey" or "marathon," Maulik Joshi, DrPH, president and CEO of Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health, wrote in a March 25 opinion piece published in Medpage Today.