July/August 2023 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
Top 9 reasons healthcare workers quit
Healthcare organizations must make sure employees feel valued and well-paid to retain them, according to Grant Thornton's State of Work in America report.
Debate over masking in healthcare settings persists post-PHE
Now is not the time to do away with masks in healthcare settings, two infectious disease physicians wrote in a commentary published May 16 in Annals of Internal Medicine, an indication that the debate over whether hospitals should continue to mandate masking is not wavering any time soon.
Fauci: Why the chances of eradicating the COVID-19 virus are 'zero'
Anthony Fauci, MD, believes the chances of eradicating the virus that causes COVID-19 are zero.
Neglect allegations spur internal review at Boston hospital
Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston is conducting an internal review of inpatient deaths in response to allegations of neglect and suboptimal care for patients with mental health disabilities.
AI could end the war on antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Cambridge, Mass.-based MIT and Ontario, Canada-based McMaster University researchers have found a new antibiotic treatment that can kill a common bacteria in hospital infections thanks to machine learning.
CDC publishes ventilation guidance for respiratory infection
The CDC published guidance on improving building ventilation to protect people from respiratory infections.
'F' to 'A': How this Chicago hospital leaped to top safety grade
In past years, leaders at St. Bernard Hospital on Chicago's South Side weren't fans of The Leapfrog Group's safety grades that are handed out twice a year. "F" grades in both spring and fall of 2021 had been stinging reminders that the safety net hospital wasn't doing enough to focus on patient safety.
The 5 fastest growing jobs within nursing
Here are the fastest growing jobs within nursing between 2021 and 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What experienced nurses want newer peers to know
Nurses with decades of experience have been there, done that, seen and heard it all. They are more than willing to share advice about what they wish new nurses could already know and feel today that would help strengthen their practice.
Spike in HAIs should 'stop hospitals in their tracks': Leapfrog
Data released as part of The Leapfrog Group's annual hospital rankings — which analyzed data from late 2021 and into 2022 — revealed a significant rise in healthcare-associated infections — a trend that was in decline prior to the pandemic.
Better work environment for nurses tied to lower C. diff rates
Nurses at the bedside play a key role in prevention of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile in patients, a new study has found.
'It's going to get worse': Experts warn of rising fungal infections
Fungal infections are on the rise — in part due to more people with compromised immune systems and deadly pathogens adapting to warmer temperatures — and physicians need to be ready, experts told The Wall Street Journal in a June 22 report.
3rd physician leaves Kansas hospital amid CEO termination
A third physician has left Norton (Kan.) County Hospital amid the termination of former CEO Brian Kirk.
INFECTION CONTROL
Spike in HAIs should 'stop hospitals in their tracks': Leapfrog
Data released as part of The Leapfrog Group's annual hospital rankings — which analyzed data from late 2021 and into 2022 — revealed a significant rise in healthcare-associated infections — a trend that was in decline prior to the pandemic.
Better work environment for nurses tied to lower C. diff rates
Nurses at the bedside play a key role in prevention of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile in patients, a new study has found.
The case for letting nurses initiate C. diff testing
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.
Debate over masking in healthcare settings persists post-PHE
Now is not the time to do away with masks in healthcare settings, two infectious disease physicians wrote in a commentary published May 16 in Annals of Internal Medicine, an indication that the debate over whether hospitals should continue to mandate masking is not wavering any time soon.
Stop antibiotics after surgery, says new guidance
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.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
What's happened since Roe v. Wade fell 1 year ago
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade June 24, 2022. Since then, healthcare workers have been hesitant to provide some services, hospitals in states with abortion bans struggled to hire and pharmacies navigated confusion over which products they could dispense.
Texas Children's to end transgender care
Texas Children's Hospital will stop offering hormone therapy and other transgender care, according to the Houston Chronicle and ABC affiliate KTRK.
Trans individuals' ER visits more likely to result in admittance: Report
Transgender individuals' emergency department visits are 52.4 percent more likely to result in hospital admittance, and they are often more ill when they show up to ERs than their cisgender counterparts, according to researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
Top 9 reasons healthcare workers quit
Healthcare organizations must make sure employees feel valued and well-paid to retain them, according to Grant Thornton's State of Work in America report.
New York health system invites back employees fired over COVID vaccine mandate
Syracuse, N.Y.-based St. Joseph's Health is inviting back employees who were terminated for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, WSTM reported May 31.
3rd physician leaves Kansas hospital amid CEO termination
A third physician has left Norton (Kan.) County Hospital amid the termination of former CEO Brian Kirk.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
'F' to 'A': How this Chicago hospital leaped to top safety grade
In past years, leaders at St. Bernard Hospital on Chicago's South Side weren't fans of The Leapfrog Group's safety grades that are handed out twice a year. "F" grades in both spring and fall of 2021 had been stinging reminders that the safety net hospital wasn't doing enough to focus on patient safety.
Neglect allegations spur internal review at Boston hospital
Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston is conducting an internal review of inpatient deaths in response to allegations of neglect and suboptimal care for patients with mental health disabilities.
How HCA Healthcare's 200+ person team preps for hurricane season + beyond
As one of the nation's largest health systems, Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA healthcare facilities extend beyond its home base and into the heart of hurricane territory across Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia. Preparing for the season is routine, unlike the unpredictable storms that pose a threat to patients and clinicians if they make landfall.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
What experienced nurses want newer peers to know
Nurses with decades of experience have been there, done that, seen and heard it all. They are more than willing to share advice about what they wish new nurses could already know and feel today that would help strengthen their practice.
The 5 fastest growing jobs within nursing
Here are the fastest growing jobs within nursing between 2021 and 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Listen up, experienced nurses: New nurses have a few things to tell you
The late Andy Rooney once said, "Age is nothing but experience, and some of us are more experienced than others." That said, in the nursing profession, there's something new to be learned every day.