Safety/Quality
Managing challenging employees: How to help
TAKEAWAYS • Addressing an employee with a competency or behavior issue is important for the well-being of staff and managers. • Determining the reason for the issue is an important first step to resolving it. • Sources of support for managers include colleagues, human resources, and educators. In today’s perioperative…
Surface disinfection: How to play your cards right with UVC light
Approximately one in 31 hospital patients has at least one infection on any given day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In surgical settings, the risk is even higher, with up to 7% of patients developing an infection during surgery. These infections can lead to a…
Survey assesses continued impact of Change Healthcare cyberattack
Editor's Note Fallout from the February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare continues to threaten physician practices and their patients nationwide, with respondents to a recent American Medical Association (AMA) survey indicating difficulties with insurance claims and eligibility verification. AMA published the results of the informal survey April 10. Conducted March…
WHO sounds alarm on potential spread of bird flu
Editor's Note The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm about the rise of the bird flu virus—H5N1—and the threat it poses to humans, Medical Xpress reported on April 18. Experts are concerned because the bird flu has recently spread from wild birds and poultry to cows and goats…
Neurosurgery trial: Early evacuation improves long-term hemorrhage outcomes
Editor's Note Medical management care with evacuation surgery could yield better 180-day outcomes than without in patents treated within 24 hours for acute intracerebral hemorrhage, according to study results covered in an April 10 MedPage Today report. The ENRICH (Early MiNimally-invasive Removal of IntraCerebral Hemorrhage (ICH)) trial is a multicenter,…
Drug shortages higher than ever
Editor's Note Shortages of active drugs in the US have reached a new record, according to an April 12 CNN report on data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service. The two organizations have been tracking this data since 2001, the CNN report says.…
FDA announces class 1 recalls for premixed embolic, infusion pump software
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration has classified recalls of Boston Scientific’s Obsidio Conformable Embolic and Fresenius Kabi USA’s Ivenix Infusion System Large Volume Pump (LVP) software as class 1, the most serious category and an indicator of risk of serious injury or death. No injuries or deaths…
Propofol anesthesia for colonoscopy could help find polyps, prevent cancer
Editor's Note By putting the patient into deeper sedation during colonoscopy, propofol could help doctors find difficult-to-spot, potentially cancerous “serrated” polyps, according to a study published April 17 in Anesthesiology. As an alternative to moderate, “conscious” sedation, propofol facilitates a more thorough exam that is more likely to identify serrated…
FDA Class 1 recall renews concern about historically problematic heart pumps
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced a Class 1 recall on Monday for Abbott/Thoratec Corp.’s HeartMate II and HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist System (LVAS) due due to biological material buildup obstructing the devices. According to an April 16 CBS News report, surgeons first noticed problems with the…
Surge in corporate ownership of medical practices raises concerns over physician autonomy, care quality
Editor's Note Corporate entities are overtaking hospitals in terms of medical practice ownership, with corporate ownership at 30.1%, surpassing hospital ownership at 28.4% for the first time, Fierce Healthcare April 12 reports. This is alongside a “decadelong decline of independent physicians,” which saw a new high of 77.6% doctors employed…
Free Daily News
- Study: Bariatric surgery beats lifestyle changes for patients with cirrhosis, obesity
- CMS vision shifts as agency halts funding for state programs
- Low-cost blood test predicts cardiovascular event risk
- Hospital M&A activity drops to historic low amid economic and policy uncertainty
- GAO urges HHS to improve drug shortage response coordination
- Study: US maternal mortality rises 28% in 5 years, inequities persist
- Routine preop tests catch hidden risks in outpatient cosmetic surgery, Canadian study finds
- Study: Hospital same‑day knee replacements match ASC outcomes, even in higher‑risk patients
- FDA clears AI platform for real-time surgical measurements
- Study: MRI contrast agent causes harmful metal buildup in some patients