Observation can sometimes give you an idea about how well the staff is complying with OR cleaning protocols, but it can't tell you about organic residues that might remain on surfaces. Bacterial cultures of the OR environment can also have drawbacks. To evaluate the effectiveness of its cleaning, a Connecticut…

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Meaningful use is a much-used term in the push for electronic health records (EHRs). Eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and physicians can earn federal incentives for adopting and demonstrating "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology (sidebar). Your hospital's meaningful use discussions may be taking place away from the OR. But…

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A new report card on surgery information systems is out, the first in 3 years. The report from KLAS Enterprises reviews the 8 top surgery software systems. KLAS is an independent firm that compiles user ratings of health care software. The new report, titled Surgery Management 2010: In Pursuit of…

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A nurse-driven urinary catheter-removal protocol helped reduce catheter use by 32% and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) by 45% per 1,000 patient days over 18 months at one hospital. The finding was different in the hospital's ICUs, however, which report data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). In the…

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The new federal Partnership for Patients, rolled out in April 2011, seeks to save 60,000 lives over the next 3 years by stopping millions of preventable complications and injuries. Part of the goal is reducing hospital readmissions by 20% by the end of 2013 over 2010 levels. Surgical site infections…

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New clinical evidence can take a long time to find its way into practice. How to accelerate that process is the subject of a new project by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Project JOINTS, rolled out in 5 states in April 2011, focuses on accelerating adoption of evidence-based practices…

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Updated AORN recommendations on laser safety cover safe practices wherever lasers are used in the health care facility. The recommendations reflect the new ANSI Z136.3 Safe Use of Lasers in Health Care Facilities standard, expected shortly from the Laser Institute of America. AORN's revised "Recommended practices for laser safety in…

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A new benchmarking tool from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) will help sterile processing departments measure their performance with others across the country. Using the online tool, available by subscription, managers can fill out a survey of more than 130 benchmarking measures on topics such as…

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