Editor's Note ECRI Institute announced December 15 that it is providing an abridged version of its 2017 Top 10 list of health technology hazards as a free public service to inform healthcare facilities about important safety issues involving the use of medical devices and systems. Among the hazards are: inadequate…

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Editor's Note In this multi-state study examining the relationship between nurse-reported safety culture and the patient experience, researchers found that modifiable aspects of a hospital’s culture can influence the achievement of high HCAHPS scores in nursing and global domains, which directly impact hospital reimbursement. Three safety culture domains were related…

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Editor's Note Twenty-four hour, shift-related, short-term sleep deprivation leads to a significant increase in cardiac contractility, blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone secretion, finds this study presented December 2 at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting. The study included 20 healthy radiologist volunteers. Their heart function was…

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Editor's Note ECRI Institute (Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania) on November 7 released its Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2017. Several are specific to the OR. Topping the list is infusion errors, followed by inadequate cleaning of complex reusable instruments. Infection risks with heater-cooler devices used in cardiac surgery is fifth,…

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Editor's Note In this meta-analysis, Mayo Clinic researchers identify solutions that are being used to prevent or lessen physician burnout. Effective individual-focused strategies include mindfulness training, stress management training, and small group sessions. Organizational changes include limiting physician duty hours and a range of care delivery process changes in hospitals…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission on October 4 launched an online resource center to prevent workplace violence in healthcare settings. “Workplace Violence Prevention Resources” includes policies, procedures, guidelines, research, case studies, white papers, toolkits, and other material focused on workplace violence prevention and preparedness. The Joint Commission developed the resource…

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Editor's Note Physicians at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, announced on September 28 that the Zika virus may be transmitted in sweat and tears, NBC News reports. The case of a Utah man who infected his 38-year old son before he died in July leaves…

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Editor's Note Postoperative outcomes in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system have consistently improved for the past 15 years, this study finds. In this analysis of nearly 705,000 patients undergoing noncardiac surgical procedures at 143 hospitals, absolute rates and likelihood of complications, mortality, and failure to rescue significantly decreased 40%…

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Editor's Note The ECRI Institute Patient Safety Organization on September 26 released its newest analysis of patient safety errors−a Deep Dive review of reported events involving patient identification. Researchers reviewed more than 7,600 wrong-patient events occurring over a 32-month period that were voluntarily submitted by 181 healthcare organizations. Approximately 9%…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Hartford Consensus on September 16 announced the launch of a new website designed to assist the public and first responders in the event of a mass casualty or other bleeding control emergency. The website, BleedingControl.org, contains diagrams, videos, and other…

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