Top 10 health technology hazards for 2017 named
Each year, advances in medical technologies offer new ways to improve the quality of patient care. But some also create new opportunities for harm. Medical technology is intended to improve patient care, but even the best of technology—if configured, used, or maintained improperly—can lead to problems. Hospitals must regularly examine…
Outpatient vs inpatient ankle fracture repair
Editor's Note In this study of inpatient and outpatient open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for ankle fractures, researchers found a reduced risk of 30-day medical morbidities with outpatient ORIF and no differences in surgical morbidity, reoperations, and readmissions between the two groups. The findings demonstrate that performing ORIF surgery…
Care after surgery drives costs
Editor's Note This study finds that where surgical patients go after they are discharged varies widely, and that variation leads to huge differences in how much their care costs. Variation in postacute care spending between lowest and highest quintiles differed 129% for total hip replacement, 103% for coronary artery bypass…
FDA issues safety alert on implantable cardiac devices, transmitters by St Jude Medical
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration on January 9 issued a safety alert for St Jude Medical’s (St Paul, Minnesota) radio frequency-enabled implantable cardiac devices and Merlin@home transmitters on reducing the risk of patient harm from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities, if exploited, could allow an unauthorized user to remotely…
ERAS shown to improve outcomes
Editor's Note In this review article, researchers conclude that implementation of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programs results in major improvements in clinical outcomes and cost savings, which makes ERAS an important example of value-based care applied to surgery. ERAS practices include: changes from overnight fasting to carbohydrate drinks 2…
Joint Commission prohibits secure texting of patient orders
Editor's Note The Joint Commission in December banned the use of secure text messaging to transmit patient orders, the January 9 Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality reports. The Joint Commission collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make the following recommendations: Healthcare facilities are prohibited…
MRSA infections down 30% at VA hospitals
Editor's Note Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates have declined significantly over 8 years with the Veterans Affairs MRSA Prevention Initiative, this study finds. Between 2007 and 2015, MRSA HAI rates fell: 87% in ICUs 80.1% in non-ICUs 80.9% in spinal cord injury units 49.4% in long-term care.…
ECRI Institute releases annual C-suite watch list
Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on January 9 released its 2017 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List. The list includes both technologies and critical technology use issues that hospital leaders should be aware of. Included in the list are: an initiative to improve outcomes and costs of abdominal surgery hospital…
ASA updates guidelines for preop fasting, drugs to reduce pulmonary aspiration risk
Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has published new “Practice guidelines for preoperative fasting and the use of pharmacologic agents to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration: Application to health patients undergoing elective procedures.” The document updates its guidelines published in 2011. The guidelines are intended for use…
FDA classifies recall of IV Flush Syringes by Nurse Assist as Class I
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 4, 2017, classified the recall by Nurse Assist (Haltom City, Texas) of its IV Flush Syringes as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a potential link to Burkholderia cepacia blood stream infections with the syringes.…
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