OR Manager March 2022 - 31

At-A-Glance
Study: Racial, ethnic disparities
in vaccine uptake, hesitancy
A study by researchers at the Massachusetts
General Hospital and Harvard
Medical School, Boston, found that racial
and ethnic minorities have been
more hesitant or unwilling to be vaccinated
for COVID-19, compared to people
who identify as white.
Of the study participants in the US
(87,388) and the UK (1,254,294):
* Vaccine hesitancy was greater for
Black and Hispanic participants and
those reporting more than one or
other race in the US.
* Racial and ethnic minority participants
in the UK showed similar levels
of vaccine hesitancy as those in
the US.
* Association between race/ethnicity
and levels of vaccine uptake were
different in the US and UK, with
vaccine uptake significantly lower
among Blacks in the US and no statistically
significant racial/ethnic disparities
in vaccine uptake in the UK.
The findings suggest that lack of access
to the COVID-19 vaccine in the US,
rather than lower willingness to receive
it, may have played a greater role in
racial-ethnic disparities. The centralized,
national vaccine distribution in the UK
appeared better able to deliver vaccines
in a more equitable manner than the
US, the researchers say.
-https://www.nature.com/articles/
s41467-022-28200-3
WHO: Volumes of COVID-19
medical waste need attention
Tons of extra medical waste generated
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
has put tremendous strain on healthcare
waste management systems,
threatening human and environmental
health, according to a February 1 World
Health Organization (WHO) report.
In this global analysis, WHO says:
* A large share of 87,000 tons of personal
protective equipment (PPE)
procured between March 2020 and
November 2021 is expected to end
up in waste.
* More than 140 million test kits have
www.ormanager.com
the potential to generate 2,600 tons
of plastic and 731,000 L of chemical
waste.
* Some 8 billion vaccine doses administered
globally have produced
another 144,000 tons of waste in
the form of glass vials, syringes,
needles, and safety boxes.
WHO is calling for reform and additional
investments, including reducing
the use of packaging, using PPE more
rationally, and investing in non-burn
waste treatment technology.
-https://www.who.int/news/item/0102-2022-tonnes-of-covid-19-health-carewaste-expose-urgent-need-to-improvewaste-management-systems
Less
OR time for elective
procedures helps with shortages
Reducing OR time availability at UPMC
Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, by
15% helped address a 30% staffing
shortage caused by COVID-19, according
to a study presented on January 29
at the American Society of Anesthesiologists'
ADVANCE 2022 in Dallas.
A five-phase approach was used,
which included:
* Phase I (May 2021): Restricted OR
availability for
less time-sensitive
procedures and moved some to
other hospitals and surgery centers
in the UPMC system. Decreased OR
availability for surgeons with highly
elective cases and moved some to
the bedside in ICU.
* Phase II (July 2021): Formed a multidisciplinary
committee that met daily
to ensure staffing matched the surgical
schedule for 2 weeks out. Transplant
and cancer procedures were
prioritized.
* Phase III (October 2021): Reduced
availability of OR time for when procedures
could be scheduled by 15%.
Extended the deadline for scheduling
from 3 to 5 days before surgery.
* Phase IV (November 2021): Instituted
additional reductions in OR
scheduling to meet staff shortages
and reduced available OR time for all
services by an additional 10%. Surgeons
with two ORs had their time
reduced, except for those performing
trauma procedures.
* Phase V (January 2022): Implemented
a system-wide review of surgical
case prioritization and opened
up more ORs for scheduling procedures.
This allowed more flexibility
for performing procedures depending
on staff availability.
With these, available ORs were decreased
from 36 to 31 (15%), which
was adequate for addressing the 30%
reduction in staff, the authors say.
-https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/
newsroom/news-releases/2022/01/
thoughtful-approach-to-reducing-or-timefor-elective-surgeries
Risk
of catching COVID-19
during hospital stay remain low
A new study by Epic Research found
that cases of " hospital-developed
COVID-19 " -or patients admitted to
the hospital free of infection who acquired
COVID-19 during their stay-are
low, the American Hospital Association
reports. According to the study, only
about 1.8% of patients admitted were
cases of hospital-developed COVID-19,
equating to 172 patients at the highest
peak of infection in December 2020.
The study looked at patients who
tested negative on the day of, or the
day after, admission and tested positive
6 or more days post-admission. " We
chose this timeframe to try and exclude
patients who might have been positive
on admission but tested negative at the
time, " the researchers explained. Positive
COVID-19 diagnoses within 90 days
prior to admission were also excluded.
The study also found that in the last
half of 2021, the rate of patients who
tested negative and then positive after
admission rose about half as much
as overall COVID-19 admissions. " We
speculate that increased vaccination
rates among hospital staff, patients,
and visitors have contributed to a further
limiting of the spread of COVID19, "
the researchers said.
-https://www.epicresearch.org/
articles/fears-of-catching-covid-19-in-ahospital-likely-unfounded
OR
Manager | March 2022 31

https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2022/01/thoughtful-approach-to-reducing-or-time-for-elective-surgeries https://www.who.int/news/item/01-02-2022-tonnes-of-covid-19-health-care-waste-expose-urgent-need-to-improve-waste-management-systems https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28200-3 https://www.epicresearch.org/articles/fears-of-catching-covid-19-in-a-hospital-likely-unfounded

OR Manager March 2022

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