Editor's Note Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to mandate nurse staffing limits in hospitals, the July 9 Boston Business Journal reports. The nurse staffing question, which is being spearheaded by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, will ask voters to establish patient-to-nurse limits in different areas of the hospital. Hospitals…

Read More

Editor's Note In this study of 34,186 surgical patients in the University of Michigan Health System, 23.1% were taking opioids preoperatively, and the use of opioids was associated with a more negative medical and pain profile. Patient age, tobacco use, illicit drug use, higher pain severity, depression, higher Fibromyalgia Survey…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 11 announced that effective January 1, 2019, it will implement a revised eligibility requirement and two revised requirements for the Advanced Certification for Total Hip & Knee Replacement (THKR) program. The revised eligibility requirement and revision to the Performance Measure chapter of the…

Read More

Editor's Note Food & Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, on July 9 issued a statement on balancing access to appropriate treatment for patients with chronic and end-of-life pain with the need to stem the misuse and abuse of opioids. As the FDA considers new steps to address the…

Read More

Editor's Note Female general surgery residents work more, experience aspects of burnout more frequently, and have poorer psychological well-being, this study finds. Of  7,395 residents surveyed (response rate, 99%), females reported: more frequently staying in the hospital >28 hours or working >80 hours per week more frequently feeling fatigued and…

Read More

Editor's Note In its July Health Technology eSource, ECRI Institute reported on Boston Medical Center winning the 2018 Health Devices Achievement Award for its pulmonary care app. The ICOUGH Recovery app promotes better engagement with and adherence to the hospital’s recommended postoperative pulmonary care protocol, which focuses on: (I)ncentive spirometry…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration announced on July 10 that it was requiring labeling changes for fluoroquinolone antibiotics because they may cause significant decreases in blood sugar and mental health side effects. The labels will add that low blood sugar levels can lead to coma and make the…

Read More

Editor's Note In this national study, physician burnout, fatigue, and work unit safety grades were associated with major medical errors. Of 6,695 physicians in active practice surveyed, 6,586 provided information: 54.3% reported symptoms of burnout 32.8% reported excessive fatigue 6.5% reported recent suicidal ideation 3.9% reported a poor or failing…

Read More

Editor's Note US hospitals added 10,600 jobs in June to a seasonally adjusted 5,175,800, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on July 6. That is 95,300 more employees than a year ago. The overall unemployment rate rose 0.2% in June to 4.0%.

Read More

Editor's Note This study found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital-acquired conditions policy on central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) had minimal financial effects on hospitals because billing codes for CLABSI and CAUTI were rarely used and there was a significant…

Read More