Editor's Note A middle-aged woman pretending to be a surgical resident was able to gain access to 5 ORs over 2 days at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital without an identification badge before she was stopped, the February 5 Boston Globe reports. For several days the woman walked the halls…

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Editor's Note Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) occur often and have a significant negative impact on surgeons’ wellbeing, this study finds. Barriers to transparency include fear of litigation and absence of a well-defined reporting system. A survey was conducted of all surgeons at three major teaching hospitals connected with the Harvard…

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Editor's Note Fresh white coats should be used by nurses for every shift to minimize the risk of infection, and coats should be made of fabric types that minimize microbial contamination, finds this study. The microbial load of nurses’ white coats made of a polyester cotton blend or polyester fabric…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 27 issued a warning to healthcare facilities of potential safety risks associated with battery-powered mobile medical carts. The FDA has received reports of explosions, fires, smoking, and overheating of the lithium and lead acid batteries in these carts that required…

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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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