Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 31 announced a new performance measure, “PC-06 Unexpected Complications in Term Newborns,” effective January 1, 2019. The new measure will be added to the five measures already required for accredited hospitals with at least 300 live births per year. PC-06 requires hospitals to…

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Editor's Note This study, which examined the relationship between nursing specialty certification and surgical site infections (SSIs), found that only Magnet status was associated with lower SSI rates. Analyzing data from 69 hospitals, 346 units, and 6,585 RNs, along with SSI data on 22,188 patients after colon and abdominal hysterectomy…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 25 issued an update for the Zoll LifeVest 4000 wearable cardioverter defibrillator. The update provides information on efforts by Zoll to remedy the potential hazard of the device failing to deliver a life-saving shock if not replaced soon after displaying…

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Editor's Note After opioid prescribing recommendations were implemented for a single surgical procedure, laparoscopic gall bladder removal, opioid prescribing decreased for four other surgical procedures in this study. The analysis involved 1,158 patients, 558 who had surgery before the opioid recommendations were implemented and 600 after implementation. Opioid prescription size…

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Editor's Note The Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety, a collaborative operated by ECRI Institute, released a new report on July 26 that identifies ways technology can reduce and eliminate diagnostic testing and medication errors. The report, “Health IT Safe Practices for Closing the Loop,” is based on events reported…

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Editor's Note After implementing two presurgery checklists from the American College of Surgeons Strong for Surgery (S4S) program, most diabetic patients met blood sugar control recommendations, and many patients quit smoking before surgery. Use of the checklists along with an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) approach resulted in decreased length…

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Editor's Note In high-risk hip fracture patients, an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program lowers mortality rates, reduces hospital stays, and results in fewer complications, finds this study presented July 23 at the American College of Surgeons 2018 Quality and Safety Conference in Orlando, Florida. Results showed that ERAS: cut…

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Editor's Note During a 5-year quality improvement project, an academic medical center’s bariatric surgery program lowered its rates of postoperative complications and readmissions, surgical site infections (SSIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs), and bleeding despite doubling its surgical volume, finds this study presented July 23 at the American College of…

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Editor's Note The Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) recently announced its Joint Replacement Certification program with options for outpatient and inpatient settings that demonstrate excellence in specialty orthopedic care, the July 23 Becker’s ASC Review reports. Hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers seeking Joint Replacement Certification must meet the following requirements:…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 24 announced a new advisory on pressure injuries related to medical devices--including feeding or oxygen tubes, catheters, orthopedic devices, bedpans, and casts--which now account for more than 30% of all hospital-acquired pressure injuries. The Joint Commission Quick Safety, Issue 43: “Managing medical device-related…

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