Joint Commission makes minor modifications to on-site survey process
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 26 announced that it had made minor modifications to its on-site survey process that will go into effect March 1, 2020. The modifications were made to better accommodate critical survey activities for all accreditation programs, except for laboratory services accreditation. The modifications also…
Study: Inadequate precleaning can jeopardize sterilization of surgical tools
Editor's Note This study by William A. Rutala, PhD, MPH, and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which compared three low-temperature sterilization technologies to steam sterilization of simulated inadequately precleaned surgical tools, found steam sterilization to be the most effective and with the largest margin of…
CDC urges communities, hospitals to prepare for spread of coronavirus
Editor's Note In a February 25 telebriefing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will spread in the US, and hospitals and communities should begin ramping up their preparedness efforts, AHA Today reports. The CDC urged communities to implement non-pharmaceutical interventions or community…
Challenges in achieving high-level endoscope disinfection
Editor's Note In this review article, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, and associates highlight the reasons endoscope reprocessing is often ineffective and microbes frequently remain on endoscopes after high-level disinfection. Among the reasons: non-adherence to guidelines use of damaged endoscopes use of insoluble products during endoscopy insufficient cleaning contaminated rinse water…
FDA: Class I recall of Abbott coronary dilatation catheters
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration on February 19 identified the recall by Abbott Vascular of its NC Trek RX and NC Traveler RX Coronary Dilatation Catheters (diameter 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, and 5.00 mm) as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of failure of…
Effect of total joint bundled payment program on patient selection
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found little to no significant change in the characteristics of patients having total hip and knee replacement surgery after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services introduced the mandatory bundled payment programs in selected metropolitan statistical areas. The analysis included a matched set of…
CMS proposes changes to total joint bundled payment program
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on February 20 issued a rule proposing changes to the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) program, which bundles payments to acute care hospitals for hip and knee replacement surgical procedures. CMS proposes extending the CJR model for an additional…
Use of internationally educated nurses in US hospitals
Editor's Note US hospitals with more internationally trained nurses have more stable, educated, nursing workforces, and collaboration among healthcare professionals is not hindered, this study finds. Researchers analyzed 2013 survey data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators that included responses from 24,045 nurses (2,156 were trained outside the…
Specialists advise on coronavirus preparedness
Editor's Note Hospitals should prepare now for an influx of seriously ill patients infected with the new coronavirus (COVID-19), critical care specialists advised in a panel discussion February 17 at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s annual congress in Orlando, Florida. A significant influx of seriously ill patients will put…
Using smartphones to capture patient differences in postop physical recovery
Editor's Note Metrics derived from smartphone accelerometer data can capture differences in postoperative physical recovery in surgical patients, this study finds. In this analysis of 62 patients, smartphone accelerometer data showed decreases in daily exertional activity in 17 who experienced a postoperative event (eg, complication, reoperation) up to 6 weeks…
Free Daily News
- Study: Longer shifts, understaffing increase nurse sickness absence
- Power loss risks prompt FDA Class 1 recall designation for heart pump accessories
- Therapy dogs ease nurse burnout, boost morale
- Personalized perioperative pain management reduces opioid use
- Study: Colibactin-producing gut bacteria fuel colorectal cancer surge
- Augmented reality gains FDA nod, 10k-case milestone in orthopedics, strides in outpatient surgery
- Smart patient selection anchors DISC’s high-acuity spine ASC model
- Postop opioid prescriptions following outpatient surgery see steep, sustained fall
- Study: Bariatric surgery offers cost, survival benefits for cirrhosis patients
- AI monitoring, remote surgery advance