Editor's Note A new congressional investigation shows that the number of infections from contaminated duodenoscopes is much higher than previously estimated, the April 15 Los Angeles Times reports. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told investigators that from 300 to 350 patients at 41 facilities in the US and abroad…

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Editor's Note After six consecutive night shifts, anesthesia residents experienced significantly impaired control of all driving variables including speed, lane position, throttle, and steering in a driving simulator. They also were more likely to be involved in collisions. In addition, reaction times increased with a significant increase in the number of minor…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 15 issued draft guidance on “Hospital and Health System Compounding Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” Hospital pharmacies or standalone pharmacies that are part of a health system provide compounded drugs for administration in the hospital or health…

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Editor's Note Nurses are becoming innovators at the MakerHealth Space at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston---a workspace where they can brainstorm ideas for healthcare innovations that will improve patient care, and they can build prototypes of their ideas. MakerHealth Space began as an expedition site for a concept from…

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Editor's Note Musical preferences and perceptions of the effect of music in the OR differ by professional status and specialty, this study finds. A survey of 282 patients and 390 providers (ie, physicians, residents, and nurses in anesthesiology and surgery), found that: Patients who highly enjoyed music said it alleviated…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons on April 12 released an update of its Statements on Principles, which includes its position on the practice of concurrent surgeries performed by a primary attending surgeon. The statement notes that in general, the primary attending surgeon should be in the operating suite…

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Editor's Note Weight loss and obesity-related comorbidity outcomes at 1 year after surgery are unrelated to surgeon skill, this study finds. Comparing patients who were operated on by surgeons in the top 25% for surgical skill scores and surgeons in the bottom 25%, there were no major differences in the…

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Editor's Note A new ASTM International standard will help manufacturers validate a standardized, safe, and effective level for cleaning of medical devices. The standard--soon to be published as F3127, Guide for Validating Cleaning Lines for Medical Devices--is the result of a November 2011 symposium sponsored by ASTM International (formerly known…

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Editor's Note The ECRI Institute (Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania) on April 13 released its “Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations” for 2016. Topping the list was “Health IT configurations and organizational workflow that do not support each other,” followed by “Patient identification errors.” “Inadequate cleaning and disinfection of flexible…

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Editor's Note Hospitals that rank higher in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Hospital Compare star ratings system have lower readmission and mortality rates, compared with those ranked lower in the system, this study finds. Hospitals with five stars had an 18.7% readmission rate, compared with 22.9% for one-star…

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