It's a question ORs have faced for several years—what do you use for the vaginal prep when the patient is allergic to povidone iodine? After Techni-Care (PCMX, or chloroxylenol) stopped being made in 2009, clinicians were left without a skin prep indicated for use in the genital area for iodineallergic…

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Do you know where your OR's process is at most risk for an error that could lead to wrong-site surgery? A South Carolina health system identified its improvement opportunities and came up with solutions as part of a national project with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (CTH). Five…

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Obese patients are nearly 12 times more likely to have postoperative complications after elective breast procedures than nonobese patients, finds a study published online ahead of print in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Overall, 18.3% of obese patients suffered complications compared to 2.2% of nonobese patients in a review of insurance…

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Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine have singled out a genetic variation in patients who have postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). In the study, the researchers pooled DNA samples from 122 patients with severe PONV. Findings identified 41 genetic targets (called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) in these patients…

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For the past four years, Rhode Island Hospital (RIH) in Providence has reviewed its processes for preventing wrongsite surgery from top to bottom. The hospital has been under the microscope after several widely publicized incidents dating back to 2007. The hospital has been fined by the state and successfully passed…

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We all think we are good at multitasking—but we're really not. A good way to enhance decision-making is to sleep on it. Exercise boosts brain power and could stave off Alzheimer's. These are a few of 12 "brain rules" laid out by writer John Medina in his fascinating book of…

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The devil really is in the details. That's a key message from a national project to prevent wrong-site surgery. Five hospitals and three surgery centers have worked with the Joint Commission's Center for Transforming Healthcare (CTH) to measure defects in their own processes and come up with targeted ways to…

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes new quality measures, including a new quality reporting program for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), in its proposed 2012 outpatient rule issued July 1, 2011. The rule applies to hospital outpatient departments and ASCs. Comments are accepted until August 30. A final…

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