Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 29 announced that it has concluded its efforts to streamline and consolidate its elements of performance (EPs) for its accreditation programs as part of its EP Review Project. The Equipment Management chapter of the Home Care Accreditation program and the Leadership chapter for…

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Editor's Note The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at New Hampshire-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock has created a nurse mentor role to help her address the needs of younger nurses and improve retention rates, the August 24 HealthLeaders Media reports. CNO Karen Clements, MSB, BSN, RN, FACHE, learned of the concept at a meeting…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 28 issued a notice proposing not to include three bulk FDA-approved drug substances−bumetanide, nicardipine hydrochloride, and vasopressin−on the list that outsourcing facilities may use in compounding drug products. The FDA is seeking public comment before finalizing their decision. Comments must…

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Editor's Note Use of a standardized, electronic nursing handoff communication process resulted in decreased boarding time in the emergency department (ED) and increased bed flow efficiency, this study finds. Before implementation of the electronic nursing handoff process, the average ready to move-to-occupied time was 83.6 minutes. This decreased to 49…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on August 28 issued a new Quick Safety advisory that focuses on evidenced-based, nonopioid and nonpharmacologic treatment options for pain. Among the options: behavioral/cognitive/psychological interventions (ie, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation) environmental-based interventions (ie, lighting alterations, music therapy) physical interventions (ie, acupuncture, massage therapy, spinal manipulation)…

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Editor's Note Patients who have Foley catheters placed by medical students in the OR are at increased risk of postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), this study finds. This analysis included 891 patients who had Foley catheters placed in the OR by surgical residents (547 patients), OR nurses (227), or…

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Editor's Note A deal has been signed by Olympus with FlexDex Surgical to distribute its wrist-controlled Needle Driver robotic device, the August 23 Medical Design & Outsourcing reports. The FlexDex Needle Driver, which is used to streamline suturing in areas of the abdomen that are hard to access, will complement…

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Editor's Note This year’s three winners of the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge included assistive surgical devices: First place−$20,000 went to a team from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, for a minimally invasive brain retractor. Second place−$15,000 was awarded to a team from Clemson University, South Carolina, for a…

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Editor's Note The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on August 23 issued 16 penalties to 13 hospitals and fines of more than $1 million. Among the penalties issued, four were OR related: OR fire unintended retention of a foreign object (blue towel) wrong site surgery malfunction of a heart-lung…

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Editor's Note In this study, no benefit of hypnosis before general anesthesia was found on postoperative pain, but it had other benefits, such as less fatigue and anxiety (especially in patients who thought they received hypnosis, but did not) and higher patient satisfaction scores. A total of 150 women having…

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