Editor's Note Starting October 1, US hospitals participating in Medicare's Inpatient Quality Reporting Program will need to report adherence to 25 patient safety best practices, as mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). According to a September 4 report from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the…

Read More

Editor's Note Researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed statistical models to improve how anesthesiologists manage unconscious pain, or nociception, during surgery, according to a September 23 report in News Medical. Derived from over 18,000 minutes of surgery data across 101 abdominal procedures, the models aim to…

Read More

Editor's Note Virtual reality is making training more immersive for nurses at SSM Health St Mary’s Hospital in Janesville, Wisconsin, according to a September 11 article in GazetteXtra. Although a first for St Mary’s, virtual reality has already been adopted by other SSM Health facilities, the outlet reports. Donning googles…

Read More

Editor's Note Often exceeding federal safety limits, OR noise contributes significantly to communication breakdowns, heightened cognitive load, and increased surgical errors, according to a review of literature published September 17 in Cureus. Identified noise sources include surgical instruments, alarms, and staff conversations, which can reach up to 120 decibels (dBA)—a…

Read More

Editor's Note Aligning with a recent executive order promoting safe and effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input on what providers and others are doing with the technology. Issued September 9, the Request for Information (RFI) invites healthcare…

Read More

Editor's Note An American Hospital Association (AHA) analysis of data from Vizient reveals that hospital performance levels in the first quarter of this year was on par with performance prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite patients exhibiting more significant healthcare needs. Released this month, the report analyzes data from 2019…

Read More

Editor's Note In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), The Joint Commission and The Joint Commission and Joint Commission International (JCI) invite organizations, health professionals, patients, and their advocates to recognize World Patient Safety Day Tuesday, September 17. This year’s theme is “improving diagnosis for patient safety.” This theme…

Read More

Editor's Note Findings to be presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2024 suggest bariatric surgery may offer more effective long-term control of high blood pressure for people with obesity compared to medications and lifestyle changes, according to a September 5 report in News Medical. According to the…

Read More

Editor’s Note The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is advocating for clearer reprocessing instructions for medical devices to improve patient safety and efficiency, Outpatient Surgery Magazine August 19 reports. Many current instructions for use (IFUs) are considered overly complex, outdated, and difficult to interpret, especially for…

Read More

Editor's Note A recent study analyzing 30 years of national registry data shows a significant decline in perioperative mortality among living kidney donors, MedPage Today August 28 reports. From 2013 to 2022, the mortality rate within 90 days post-donation was 0.9 per 10,000 donations, compared to 2.9 per 10,000 in…

Read More