Editor's Note Pregnant women who work two night shifts per week have a heightened risk for miscarriage after pregnancy week 8, this Danish study finds. Of 22,744 pregnant women analyzed, 2 or more night shifts the previous week increased the risk of miscarriage after pregnancy week 8 (hazard ratio, 1.32).…

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Editor's Note The risk of hand contamination was higher when healthcare workers (HCWs) removed their gloves before their gowns during personal protective equipment (PPE) doffing, and HCWs who made multiple PPE doffing errors were more likely to have contaminated clothes after patient interactions, this study finds. In this analysis of…

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Contaminated surgical instruments made ECRI Institute’s 2019 annual top 10 list of health technology hazards, coming in at number five: “Mishandling flexible endoscopes after disinfection can lead to patient infections.” Number two on the list in 2018 was “Endoscope reprocessing failures continue to expose patients to infection risk.” It’s not…

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Surgical site infections are multifactorial, and perioperative leaders often struggle with how to reduce or eliminate them. In 2013, after an unexplained increase in surgical site infections (SSIs) among patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty at our facility, we began to investigate the cause. A fairly robust ERAS (enhanced recovery after…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 20 announced that it is seeking comments on a proposed element of performance (EP) for office-based surgery practices that provide fluoroscopy services. The new requirement−Environment of Care (EC) standard EC.02.02.01−addresses the monitoring of radiation exposure badges. The deadline for comments is March 29.

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 13 announced the revision of its Sentinel Event Alert on diagnostic radiation, which was updated to also address risks associated with fluoroscopy. The original Alert, “Issue 47: Radiation risks of diagnostic imaging and fluoroscopy was published in August 2011.

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Editor's Note This meta-analysis found that a surgeon will have a sharps injury in about 1 in 10 surgical procedures. Of 45 studies analyzed, the incidence rate was 13.2 sharps injuries per 100 time-units. Per 100 person-years, the rate was 88.2 for self-reported injuries, 40.0 for perforations, and 5.8 for administrative…

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Burnout and resiliency are addressed at nearly every major healthcare conference these days, and research on burnout ties it to adverse effects on healthcare providers as well as their patients. According to Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, APRN-CNP, FNAAP, FNAP, FAAN, vice president for health promotion and university chief wellness officer,…

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Injuries from needlesticks—whether from disposable syringes, IV catheters, or blood collection devices—accounted for more than 30% of all sharps injuries in 2016, especially among nurses. Injuries from skin injections alone accounted for 25.7% of all sharps injuries that year. And, for the first time, injuries occurring from suturing during procedures…

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Editor's Note In this national study, physician burnout, fatigue, and work unit safety grades were associated with major medical errors. Of 6,695 physicians in active practice surveyed, 6,586 provided information: 54.3% reported symptoms of burnout 32.8% reported excessive fatigue 6.5% reported recent suicidal ideation 3.9% reported a poor or failing…

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