In the first half of 2024, six systems have performed first-of-its-kind procedures and clinical treatments.

North Carolina and New York are among states weighing bans on public mask wearing amid heightened tension surrounding protests on the Israel-Hamas conflict. While lawmakers say such measures wouldn't target medical mask wearing, critics are skeptical about the practicality of a health exception, The Washington Post reported June 24.

A New York supportive housing nonprofit organization cut emergency room visits of its residents in half and increased primary care use to 93%, Gothamist reported June 24.

A 28-year-old patient stayed awake during an entire kidney transplant surgery at Northwestern Medicine, and he was discharged the next day. 

As "FLiRT" coronavirus variants account for about 77% of infections, COVID-19 cases are ticking upward this summer, according to CDC data. 

The University of California San Francisco is ending its master's program for nurse midwives and moving to a doctorate program — and critics say it could make it harder for new midwives to enter the field, the San Francisco Chronicle reported June 23.

We who are fortunate to work in healthcare study and train for years to develop the knowledge, expertise and resulting confidence to make decisions that are in the best interests for our patients. It's a tried and true process; families rely on us to know what to do.

A multi-disciplinary team of experts at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tenn., recently performed a surgical procedure known as "Jaw in a Day." The procedure was performed in partnership with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and involved the removal of a tumor from a patient's face and full jaw reconstruction on the same day. 

The CDC found gun injury-related visits to emergency departments remained high for the fourth year in a row, especially among patients under 24.

Minneapolis, Minn.-based Allina Health cut its overall length of stay across 12 hospitals by a collective total of 10% over a one-year period. The average amount of time a patient waited to be discharged from an Allina hospital into a long-term care setting or skilled nursing facility also went down by 18.8% in one year, the system's new chief operating officer, Dominica Tallarico, told Becker's.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends 26 hours of intensive behavioral intervention for kids 6 and older with a high body mass index.

After auditing 23 surgical cases, researchers found that hand-offs happened in 82.6% of cases, but only 34.4% of critical information was communicated through the exchange. A new surgical hand-off process for operating room staff, dubbed "SHRIMPS" could be the solution, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Some experts warn that the bird flu is at least two mutations away from widespread human infection and health systems may see some patients this summer, Medscape reported June 19.

For Shannon Christian, MSN, RN, ensuring her team has a realistic view of the current state of the industry is a top priority.

Researchers at Columbus-based Ohio State University have discovered that hepatitis E can be sexually transmitted and may also be connected to male infertility, according to the study, which was published May 24 in PLOS Pathogens.

About 51% of nurses said they are considering relocating to another state for a job, according to a Nurse.com report.

The cost to equip emergency departments with the appropriate resources to safely care for children is minimal but can significantly improve survival rates, according to a study published June 3 in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open. 

Physicians at Memorial Hermann Health System are aiming to address the congenital syphilis epidemic via a new testing program in its emergency department, the Houston Chronicle reported June 17.

Across healthcare, efforts to advance documentation are often focused on enhancing physicians' workflow. But at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital, leaders are equally focused on improving documentation in nursing. 

Two Texas pediatric hospitals  — Children's Medical Center Dallas and Children's Medical Center Plano — have been granted level I and level II surgery center designations from the American College of Surgeons.