Editor's Note A new smartphone app called “WoundCare” is successfully letting patients send images of their surgical wounds to nurses for monitoring, this study finds. The goal of the app, developed by researchers from the Wisconsin Institute of Surgical Outcomes Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison, is earlier detection of surgical…

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Editor's Note Though needlestick injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens continue to be significant hazards for surgeons and nurses, concern about risk is declining, and the true conversion risk is underestimated, this study finds. A survey was distributed to 358 medical students and 247 department of surgery staff at an…

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Editor's Note The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) on January 11 released new expert guidance on contact precautions for patients with multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The guidance advises hospitals on when they can safely discontinue contact precautions, including use of gowns, gloves, and masks. In most cases, this ranges…

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Tapping incoming or newly graduated OR nurses as champions and preceptors for initiatives works quite well, say some OR leaders. Though less experienced than their peers, these nurses bring to the table up-to-date knowledge, energy, a fresh set of eyes, and comfort with new technology. In turn, making them experts…

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Licensed healthcare professionals working in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can now earn a Certified Ambulatory Infection Preventionist™ (CAIP™) credential to demonstrate their understanding of the skills and knowledge required to fill the role of an infection preventionist (IP) in an ASC. The new certification program can also help IPs working…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 5 updated its data on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) have dropped 50% since 2008. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) have had consistent year-to-year decreases, especially since those caused by yeast were deleted from the…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have been collaborating since late 2015 on a 3-year project titled, “Adaptation & Dissemination of Outpatient Infection Prevention (ADOPT).” The goal of the project is to adapt, enhance, and disseminated current CDC guidance on infection prevention and…

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Editor's Note Wearing long sleeves with gloves while prepping a patient in the OR decreased large-particle and microbial shedding compared with prepping with bare arms, in this study. A mock patient skin prep was performed in 3 different ORs. A long-sleeved gown and gloves or bare arms were used to…

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Editor's Note Increasing OR ventilation rates to improve outcomes and reduce surgical site infections did not provide cleaner air but did increase operating costs in this study. Air quality was measured at different ventilation rates in three ORs. Increasing air change rates did not provide an overall cleaner environment. Significant…

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Editor's Note This analysis of 10 surgical procedures accrued into the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) between 2008 and 2015, identified which procedures improved the most from QI efforts and which needed more. Hepatectomy demonstrated the greatest improvement across the greatest number of outcomes…

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