Editor's Note The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons have jointly published new clinical practice guidelines on enhanced recovery after colon and rectal surgery. The enhanced recovery protocol is multidisciplinary, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and dietitians and involves all aspects of care…

Read More

Editor's Note Nurse leaders are integral in enhancing professional practice environments, and their influence links structures necessary for an environment that supports outcomes, this study finds. In this analysis of 30 nurse leaders and 169 clinical nurses at a 247-bed acute care Magnet hospital, leaders perceived their influence from “often”…

Read More

Editor's Note Development of and adherence to quality indicators by providers may improve the quality of emergency general surgery, for which current outcomes are modifiable, finds this study. Of 25 quality indicators developed and rated as valid, there were 13 for patient-level and 12 for hospital-level quality. Adherence with 18…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on June 28 posted a Quick Safety on daily safety briefings--a hallmark of high reliability organizations. Safety briefings--also called safety huddles, daily check-ins, or daily safety calls--are used to give keep frontline staff and leadership informed. The briefings can be used to: share issues that…

Read More

Editor's Note For the third straight year, Boston Children’s Hospital tops the US News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was second, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was third. US News bases its honor roll on how hospitals rank in each of 10…

Read More

Editor's Note The combination of two molecular biology tests is the first to distinguish, with near certainty, pancreatic lesions that mimic early signs of cancer but are completely benign, this study finds. The vascular endothelial growth factor-A test alone singled out benign serious cystic neoplasms with a sensitivity of 100%…

Read More

Editor's Note Cardiac surgical team members recognize distinct critical time points during cardiac surgery, but a high degree of variability exists between members as to the importance of these times, which suggests an absence of a shared mental model, this study finds. Cardiac team members from three institutions developed a…

Read More

Editor's Note Hospitals with rectal cancer programs may now earn accreditation from the new National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), the American College of Surgeons (ACS) announced on June 21. NAPRC is based on successful international models that have resulted in better outcomes and emphasize a multidisciplinary team approach…

Read More

Editor's Note In this single institution study, the most common reasons for unplanned return to the OR (uROR) were infection and hemorrhage. However, the researchers found that a large number of cases were incorrectly classified as uROR, when they were instead planned reoperations without adequate documentation. Using uROR as reported…

Read More

Keeping a close eye on implants that are opened and not used is one way OR leaders can track practices that add significantly to costs. But what about blood products? Blood taken to the OR and not used also can be costly. Although an individual unit of blood doesn't compare…

Read More