Study: Residual moisture, waterborne pathogens found inside flexible endoscopes
Editor's Note Inadequate reprocessing and insufficient drying contributed to retained fluid and contamination found inside flexible endoscopes in this study led by noted epidemiologist Cori L. Ofstead. Of 45 endoscopes analyzed at 3 hospitals, fluid was detected in 49%, and the prevalence of moisture varied significantly by site (5%, 83%,…
FDA issues letter to healthcare providers on risks of endoscope connectors
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 18 alerted healthcare providers and facilities about the risk of cross-contamination with 24-hour, multipatient use connectors used in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. Endoscope connectors are small accessories used to connect the auxiliary water channel to a water source and irrigation tubing.…
Parents’ vs surgeons’ expectations during concurrent pediatric surgery
Editor's Note In this study, a significant mismatch was found between parents’ and pediatric surgeons’ expectations on the role of the surgeon on the day of surgery, with parents expecting more direct involvement by the attending surgeon. A total of 110 parents and 84 pediatric surgeons and surgical residents completed…
Joint Commission issues new Sentinel Event Alert on violence against healthcare workers
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on April 17 announced that it had issued a new Sentinel Event Alert 59: Physical and verbal violence against healthcare workers. The Joint Commission issued the alert during Workplace Violence Awareness Month to help healthcare workers in hospitals and other healthcare settings recognize violence from…
FDA approves firmware update for Abbott ICDs, CRT-Ds
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 17 announced that it had approved a firmware update that is now available for certain Abbott (formerly St Jude Medical) implantable cardiac devices (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds). The update is a corrective action (recall) to reduce the…
Patient optimization clinic creates a recipe for success
The government and insurance companies have imposed increasing penalties on healthcare facilities in recent years for readmissions. And with good reason: High readmission rates greatly increase costs and sometimes signal poor patient safety practices. In 2015, roughly 2 million patients were readmitted, costing Medicare $27 billion, according to the Centers…
OR leaders feel the pain of the opioid crisis
The OR isn’t exempt from the effects of the opioid crisis. Identifying patients taking opioids is part of OR clinicians’ responsibilities, and they also play an important role in preventing opioid addiction. “We have patients who have opioid use disorder [OUD] and neglect to tell us,” says Mary Jo Steiert,…
Editorial
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 2 million Americans have a prescription-related opioid use disorder, and 46 people die from a prescription opioid-related overdose every day—more than a fourfold increase since 1999. Statistics like these are in the news nearly every day, and there is…
ECRI Institute PSO sheds light on opioid use in acute care
OR Manager, Inc., and ECRI Institute have joined in a collaboration to bring OR Manager readers periodic articles on topics such as medical technology management and procurement, risk management, and patient safety. ECRI Institute is an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care. Opioids are the…
What do 'patient first' care models look like?
Creating a positive patient experience creates patient satisfaction, which can affect reimbursement. But it’s not just business that calls many OR leaders to focus on patient experience. Having been a patient who has had surgery, it’s near and dear to my heart,” says Carol Pehotsky, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, ACNS-BC, CPAN,…
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