Stenting and surgery equally effective for stroke
Editor's Note Carotid artery stenting and surgery are equally effective at lowering the long-term risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death, finds this study led by researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida. The risk of stroke after either stenting or surgery was about 7%, and the development of restenosis…
Editorial
Certain topics in OR Manager bear repeating, and high reliability is one example. The concept, put forth by the Joint Commission in 2013 to improve quality and safety of patient care, is slowly gaining traction as more facilities embrace its principles. Last March, we reported on high reliability practices at…
Nursing work environment linked to better surgical value
Hospitals with better nursing work environments and above-average staffing levels were associated with better surgical value (ie, lower mortality with similar costs) in this study, especially for higher-risk patients. Past studies have shown that hospitals with better nursing work environments provide better quality of care, but less is known about…
Manage physician preference cards to boost efficiency and patient safety
Surgeons often complain that their physician preference cards (PPCs) are not current, and keeping on top of the situation can be a struggle. Yet having accurate information on these cards greatly enhances both efficiency and patient safety, say surgical services leaders who have overhauled their systems. In this article, experts…
High reliability: Excellent care every time
High reliability has now permeated the healthcare literature, but some clinicians are still unsure exactly what it means. A simple definition offered by Coleen Smith, MBA, RN, CPHQ, director of High Reliability Initiatives for the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, is “excellence in patient care for every patient, every…
Effect of hospital competition, financial status on robot use
Editor's Note Patients treated at hospitals located in competitive regional markets were more likely to have robotic-assisted surgical procedures, this study finds. However, when the analysis was limited just to hospitals that performed robotic-assisted surgery, competition was no longer associated with the use of robotic technology. In addition, hospital financial status had…
SGNA releases two new infection prevention standards
Editor's Note The Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) has released two new standards focused on infection prevention. The revised “Standards of Infection Prevention in Reprocessing of Flexible Gastrointestinal Endoscopes” details nine steps for successful reprocessing. The previous standard had eight steps—visual inspection used to be included with manual…
Joint Commission publishes Quick Safety on informed consent
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on February 11 published it’s latest Quick Safety newsletter, which focuses on informed consent. Implementing an effective informed consent process poses numerous challenges, and frequently patients do not understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives involved in their treatment or surgical procedures, the Joint Commission says.…
Contamination of drugs during administration by anesthesiologists
Editor's Note In this study, researchers found microorganisms with the potential to cause infections being injected into patients during administration of drugs by anesthesiologists during surgical procedures. The study included 23 anesthesiologists, each anesthetizing up to 25 patients. The anesthesiologists were asked to inject all bolus drugs, except propofol and…
Bariatric surgery linked to lower mortality for older patients
Editor's Note Gastric bypass surgery was associated with improved long-term survival for patients aged 35 years and older in this study. In the analysis of nearly 16,000 patients—8,000 who had gastric bypass surgery and 8,000 who did not have surgery—researchers found mortality benefits varied by age. Those who were: younger…
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