AHRQ Safety Program for ISCR to include emergency general surgery in 2020
Editor's Note In this article, the American College of Surgeons and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, which launched the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR) in 2016, announce that they are expanding the scope…
Making a difference in someone’s life
Editor's Note The 2020 OR Business Management Conference offers a chance to make a difference in someone’s life during the Build-a-Wheelchair® activity on Tuesday, January 28, from 3 to 5 pm. Participants work in teams to assemble, test, and decorate wheelchairs for donation to American veterans. Attendees are urged to…
Find your purpose, not passion
Editor's Note Though many self-help books advise people to find their passion, this is terrible advice, says LaRae Quy in the January 15 issue of SmartBrief/Leadership. Passion is a “hedonistic approach to life,” that is popular right now, she says. People think they need to be passionate about their jobs…
Survey: MRI procedures up 8%, AI to improve image quality and workflow
Editor's Note A survey by IMV Medical Information Division finds that the number of MRI procedures performed in the US rose 8% from 39 million in 2018 to an all-time high of some 42 million in 2019, the January 15 AuntMinnie.com reports. A total of 17% of respondents gave high…
Virtual physical therapy rehab vs traditional care after TKA
Editor's Note A virtual system for in-home physical therapy (PT) provided similar patient outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), with lower costs than traditional in-person PT, finds this study. A total of 306 TKA patients were randomly assigned to have traditional PT, either at home or at clinic visits, or…
FDA clears Aidoc’s AI system for stroke detection
Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration has granted 510(k) clearance to Aidoc (Tel Aviv) for its artificial intelligence (AI)-based system for large-vessel occlusion detection−ischaemic strokes that result from a blockage in one of the major arteries of the brain, the January 14 Verdict Medical Devices reports. The system’s AI…
Study challenges concerns about HRRP
Editor's Note This study from the division of cardiology at Dallas’ University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, challenges concerns about Medicare’s Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP)--ie, that it leaves patients more vulnerable and increases postdischarge mortality rates. Analyzing inpatient and outpatient…
Joint Commission announces new website design
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced on January 15 that it had launched its new website design late last year, with new features that include: a single sign-on for the multiple sites of the Joint Commission enterprise improved mobile viewing and navigation dynamic content organized according to care setting, healthcare…
Reproductive hazards for female surgeons in the OR
Editor's Note Reproductive hazards are present in the OR and may contribute to pregnancy complications and infertility in female surgeons, this review finds. Hazards include radiation, surgical smoke, working conditions, sharps injuries, anesthetic gases, and intraoperative use of toxic agents. Studies comparing female surgeons with the general population show increased…
Rush tops US News best online nursing programs
Editor's Note Chicago’s Rush University College of Nursing is at the top of 183 online graduate nursing programs in the US News & World Report’s 2020 Best Online Programs, released January 14. The University of South Carolina in Columbia was second, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore was third. Ohio State…