July/August 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

July/August 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

ON THE COVER

What an increasingly anxious workforce means for patient care
Whether a school in Uvalde, Texas, or a hospital campus in Tulsa, Okla., a recent series of violent events are constant reminders of the potential for what could unfold on healthcare workers' home campuses. The omnipresent anxiety over gun violence in the workplace — a possibility that increasingly seems more likely — has negative consequences for care delivery and the patient experience.

A powerful way to start a medical appointment? With non-medical questions
Talking to patients about the social determinants of their health is just as, if not more, important as prescribing medication to treat an ailment, according to physicians practicing at organizations that utilize screenings to learn about factors like housing and employment.

Why Advocate Aurora is paying employees to take 'renewal days'
Advocate Aurora Health is paying nurses and other staff members to step away from their jobs for a day to participate in a "renewal day" focused on employee wellness and connection. 

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: An HCAHPS update is needed urgently
Virtually every adult inpatient hospital in America administers the HCAHPS survey to patients. The data from these surveys are publicly reported for all to see, and star ratings are assigned to hospitals based on this patient feedback. In addition, results of these surveys are a driver of the government’s Value-Based Purchasing program, which rewards or penalizes hospitals based on performance. HCAHPS and other CMS-mandated quality measures are ingrained into most hospitals’ goal setting and operations. The stakes on performance are high.

The best and worst states for healthcare during COVID-19
The Commonwealth Fund released its 2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which was modified from previous years to factor each state's response and management of the COVID-19 pandemic into its grade.

Why PAs aren't using the term 'physician associate' yet
The American Academy of Physician Assistants has officially changed its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates as part of a larger rebranding effort for the profession, but the association is not advising PAs to use the new term in a professional capacity yet.

Jefferson Health boosts staffing flexibility with 'Nursing SEAL Team'
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health is aiming to give nurses more flexibility with where they work through a new "Nursing SEAL Team," the health system said July 6.

Has smell, taste returned for COVID-19 survivors? 2 latest findings
Temporary loss of smell emerged as a common indicator of COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Research into the cause and treatment of the condition, known as anosmia, is ongoing, though recent studies have brought us one step closer to answers.

Joint Commission faces more pressure to require safe staffing for accreditation
Hospital workers and allies in Illinois and Indiana are urging The Joint Commission to add staffing standards to its accreditation and licensing process for healthcare facilities.

1 in 3 physicians reported mistreatment in past year
Nearly 30 percent of physicians reported experiencing discrimination and mistreatment from patients or patients’ family members or visitors, a study published May 19 in JAMA Network Open found.

5 best health systems to grow your career: LinkedIn
Five health systems made LinkedIn's list of the 25 best healthcare companies to grow your career in the industry.

Is nursing recession-proof?
Amid a growing risk of recession for the U.S., there is at least one healthcare occupation that appears in solid position to withstand an economic downturn: nursing, a registered nurse from Louisiana argues in a June 20 article on nurse.org.

Sanford to hire more than 700 foreign nurses by 2025
Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health is planning to hire more than 700 internationally trained nurses over the next three years to work at the system's four major medical centers and several critical access hospitals, Chief Nursing Officer Erica DeBoer, RN, told Becker's June 15.

INFECTION CONTROL

'Stay humble at the outset': 4 physicians on how COVID-19 shaped infectious disease work
As the monkeypox outbreak evolves, hospitals are reflecting on the early days of their COVID-19 response.

UPMC sued over COVID-19 test that canceled patient's wedding
UPMC faces a lawsuit filed by a patient whose incorrect COVID-19 diagnosis resulted in the cancellation of his summer 2020 wedding, The Tribune-Review reports.

HHS won't disclose hospitals where patients contracted COVID-19
The Biden administration will not release data on COVID-19 transmission in individual hospitals, citing "privacy concerns," Politico reported June 25.

Nurses station interactions may play role in hospital COVID-19 outbreaks
Hospital-associated COVID-19 infections may stem from airborne virus spread among employees and patients in hospital common areas, such as nurses stations, according to a study published June 8 in JAMA Network Open.

Pandemic-era flu shot rates mirror COVID-19 vaccine polarization: Study
Concerns and polarized views about COVID-19 vaccinations spilled over to flu vaccination rates in adults, according to a study by researchers who examined over two pandemic years on both vaccines by state.

PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES

What an increasingly anxious workforce means for patient care
Whether a school in Uvalde, Texas, or a hospital campus in Tulsa, Okla., a recent series of violent events are constant reminders of the potential for what could unfold on healthcare workers' home campuses. The omnipresent anxiety over gun violence in the workplace — a possibility that increasingly seems more likely — has negative consequences for care delivery and the patient experience.

Has smell, taste returned for COVID-19 survivors? 2 latest findings
Temporary loss of smell emerged as a common indicator of COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Research into the cause and treatment of the condition, known as anosmia, is ongoing, though recent studies have brought us one step closer to answers.

Don't rush through surgical timeouts, medical groups warn
The Joint Commission and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses are urging surgical teams to not rush through safety "timeouts" as they tackle a backlog of surgeries postponed amid the pandemic.

What physicians at Children's National Hospital learned from treating long COVID-19 patients
While fatigue is the most commonly reported symptom among adult and pediatric long COVID-19 patients, physicians at Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Hospital have noticed another pattern in pediatric patients.

Physicians' race, gender influences white patients' treatment response, study suggests
Patients' implicit biases about a physician's race and gender may influence their response to treatments, even when their overt attitudes about these providers are positive, according to a study published June 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE

A powerful way to start a medical appointment? With non-medical questions
Talking to patients about the social determinants of their health is just as, if not more, important as prescribing medication to treat an ailment, according to physicians practicing at organizations that utilize screenings to learn about factors like housing and employment.

Physician viewpoint: The fading presence of family at the bedside
Daniela Lamas, MD, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, has noticed a big difference in her hospital and in patient care since the pandemic began: "an erosion of the family presence that we once embraced."

The secondary crisis linked to hospitals' visitor restrictions
Nearly two-thirds of family members restricted from visiting COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units suffered from stress-related disorders three months after the hospitalization, a study published April 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine found.

Why PAs aren't using the term 'physician associate' yet
The American Academy of Physician Assistants has officially changed its name to the American Academy of Physician Associates as part of a larger rebranding effort for the profession, but the association is not advising PAs to use the new term in a professional capacity yet.

NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: An HCAHPS update is needed urgently
Virtually every adult inpatient hospital in America administers the HCAHPS survey to patients. The data from these surveys are publicly reported for all to see, and star ratings are assigned to hospitals based on this patient feedback. In addition, results of these surveys are a driver of the government’s Value-Based Purchasing program, which rewards or penalizes hospitals based on performance. HCAHPS and other CMS-mandated quality measures are ingrained into most hospitals’ goal setting and operations. The stakes on performance are high.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT

How Jefferson Health is harnessing philanthropy to address health disparities
In recent years, hospitals and health systems have launched programs or other initiatives to tackle health disparities, from outreach programs and education to recruiting a chief diversity officer.

Maternal deaths rose dramatically during COVID-19: 3 study notes
Maternal deaths in the U.S. rose 33 percent after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, according to a study published June 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Healthcare overuse is an equity issue, physicians group says
In a decade of aiming to reduce overuse in healthcare, a group of internal medicine physicians  found that overuse is prevalent in racial and ethnic minority groups, leading to what it called a "possible double jeopardy."

Biden's plan to protect LGBTQ patients' healthcare: 5 things to know
President Joe Biden signed an executive order June 15 to protect LGBTQ patients' healthcare, particularly for children.

Inaccurate pulse ox readings may have delayed, prevented care among minority COVID-19 patients
Pulse oximeter measurements are less accurate among Black, Hispanic and Asian COVID-19 patients compared to white patients. These inaccuracies may have led to minority patients receiving delayed or no treatment, according to a study published May 31 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

NURSING SPOTLIGHT

Nurse leader at hospital where 7 gallons of fentanyl went missing has license reinstated
The New Hampshire Board of Nursing has reinstated the license of Amy Matthews, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer at Keene, N.H.-based Cheshire Medical Center, after it was suspended amid an investigation into how more than 7 gallons of fentanyl went missing, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported June 28.

Is nursing recession-proof?
Amid a growing risk of recession for the U.S., there is at least one healthcare occupation that appears in solid position to withstand an economic downturn: nursing, a registered nurse from Louisiana argues in a June 20 article on nurse.org.  

Memorial Healthcare's longest-serving nurse to retire after 53 years
Memorial Healthcare System's longest-serving employee and first nurse leader of color is planning to retire after 53 years with the Hollywood, Fla.-based system, CBS News reported June 15.

More men are going into nursing: What about travel nursing?
As the number of male nurses continues to increase nationwide and the major demand for travel nurses keeps growing at a record pace, it stands to reason that more men are going into travel nursing. The problem is that very little data exists to support that assumption.

Lobbying for 'RaDonda's Law' gains traction in Tennessee
Lobbying efforts for legislation to end the criminalization of medical errors are well underway in Tennessee, where former nurse RaDonda Vaught was criminally convicted and sentenced to three years of supervised probation for a fatal medication error she made in 2017.

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