Allowing bedside nurses to independently order Clostridioides difficile testing could help hospitals lower the risk of patient infections and associated deaths, according to a study published May 11 in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is no longer embedding training costs into nurse contracts, according to a May 9 report from NBC News. 

Cyberattacks are becoming a more common occurrence at U.S. hospitals, with the number doubling between 2016 and 2021. This increase is causing significant disruptions to patient care, experts told ABC News in a May 10 report. 

Workplace violence against nurses and healthcare workers has increased at rates that experts say are "alarming." Often, rates of violence are even higher for healthcare professionals who work in emergency departments, but new technology may be able to reduce these instances.   

While Washington was the 40th U.S. jurisdiction to enact the Nurse Licensure Compact, which it did in April, 15 states and jurisdictions have not yet joined.

Recent reports on healthcare-associated infections and hospital performance might give the impression that hospitals have "taken their foot off the gas" on patient safety. "This couldn't be further from the truth," the American Hospital Association's senior director of quality and patient safety policy wrote in a May 9 blog post.

In the last decade, 152 million infants worldwide were born preterm — and while preterm birth rates are not changing, death rates from preterm birth complications are on the rise, according to a May 9 report from the World Health Organization. 

The bacteria that caused a massive infant formula shortage in 2022 may soon be added to a federal watch list of diseases, according to a May 9 report from NBC News affiliate WSMV.

When the public health emergency draws to a close May 11, some patients could lose critical elements of care overnight, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology warned in a May 9 news release.

For more than two decades, nursing has been rated at the top of the list of the "most honest and ethical professions" in the country, according to Gallup.

Mental health care and addiction treatment were identified as the two most pressing healthcare needs for rural populations, new research shows. Access and quality of care in rural regions ranked third. 

Every 7 seconds a woman or newborn dies from health complications, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

The turnover rate among first-year nurses is at an all-time high of about 32 percent, according to the "2023 NSI National Healthcare Retention" report. That's one of the drivers behind a one-year nurse residency program created by Dignity Health Global Education and backed by Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, which is rolling out the program systemwide. 

Every time a mistake is made in a healthcare setting, there can be serious repercussions. Patients may suffer lifetime injuries or even pay the ultimate price for someone else's mistake. Hospitals may wind up paying the price literally — financially and legally — and suffer costly public reputation troubles in the aftermath. 

Chicago is seeing an increase in mpox, drawing concerns from some experts about the potential for a nationwide resurgence of the virus this summer, according to a May 8 report from NBC News.

A rare fungal outbreak at a Michigan paper mill has infected more than 100 people, and health officials are still searching for the source of the fungus. 

The death of a 73-year-old man in 2022 is just one of two major incidents that prompted a federal investigation into the University of Kansas Health System, according to a May 2 report from NBC affiliate KSHB.

The University of Houston College of Nursing said it will use a $20 million gift it received to help replenish the workforce in that area.

New guidance on surgical site infections calls for physicians to cease antibiotic prophylaxis immediately after surgeries, according to research published May 4 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. It is the first major revision to the guidelines since 2014.

Thirty-six percent of patients with long COVID-19 conditions reported experiencing cognitive deficits after 30 days, according to new research published May 5 in JAMA.