Dennis Kothmann jots several numbers on a clipboard then pauses, his pen frozen on the last figure. His eyebrows furrow and he quietly mouths a calculation.
As the pace of drug approvals accelerates and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faces potential budget cuts, a new research design from Perelman School of Medicine scientists offers a new way to successfully assess safety of newly approved drugs, as well as drugs that have been on the market for a long time and have had a marked rise in their use. The study, published in the July issue of the journal Epidemiology, offers benefits over typically used randomized clinical trials, as such studies are often too small to identify rare side effects or may be performed in a group of patients who do not take other types of medications or have other conditions that could skew the drug's effect in a broader group following approval. Also first-in-class drugs may not have an applicable comparator drug, and traditional follow-up studies may give inaccurate results if those who take a new drug are different from those who took the comparator drug.
Cardiac surgeons are successfully performing more extensive surgical repairs of type A aortic dissection—one of the highest risk operations in cardiothoracic surgery. These new surgical techniques, along with improved postoperative care, are resulting in better long-term outcomes and lower rates of complications, according to an article published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Almost 1 in 6 of the millions of Americans on the new blood-thinning medications for atrial fibrillation, a common heart condition characterized by an irregular and often rapid heart rate, may not be receiving the recommended dose, new Mayo Clinic research finds.
One additional injection of insulin three hours after eating has been shown to protect people with type 1 diabetes from cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death among people with the condition
Updated results of a clinical trial that launched in 2007 were presented today by Ethan Basch, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Data showed that systematic symptom monitoring during outpatient chemotherapy using web-based patient-reported outcomes (PROs) improved overall survival.
A computer's ability to predict a patient's lifespan simply by looking at images of their organs is a step closer to becoming a reality, thanks to new research led by the University of Adelaide.
Giving acid-suppressive therapy indiscriminately to hospitalized patients to reduce GI bleeding may also place these patients at a higher risk of pneumonia, Clostridium difficile infection and other infections. Routine use of acid-suppressive therapy for all hospitalized patients, even all critically ill patients, is inappropriate and should be limited to patients who meet specific criteria, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse.
Efforts to reduce hospital readmissions are working, but they’re not always saving money, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study. The study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, evaluated the effectiveness and financial benefit of quality improvement programs at medical centers in the U.S. and elsewhere.
A team of researchers found that combinations of three antibiotics – that are each ineffective against superbugs when used alone – are capable of eradicating two of the six ESKAPE pathogens when delivered together.
In a recent paper published online in the journal Critical Care Medicine, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute of Patient Safety and Quality led a study that demonstrated that health care providers can take steps to curb ventilator-associated events.
Physicians in intensive care units routinely consider their patients’ chances of survival and recovery when guiding patients and family members in making important decisions about care plans. A new study is shedding light on the accuracy of those judgments — and for the first time also reveals the accuracy of ICU nurses’ predictions of patient outcomes. For example, the study shows that ICU physicians are better at predicting whether patients will be alive in six months than they are at predicting patients’ cognitive function in six months, and the more confident doctors are when making predictions, the more accurate those predictions tend to be.
A new study shows a way to keep urinary catheters from posing as much of a risk to the 1.4 million Americans currently in long-term and post-acute care. The research shows that urinary tract infections related to catheters fell by 54 percent in 404 nursing homes in 38 states that took part in a national patient safety effort.
Research findings to be published about new blood test technology that will greatly reduce errors in labwork and improve care in public health and infectious disease. Press briefing scheduled for May 16, reserve press access to live virtual event now.
A study at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) found that a novel device can significantly reduce contamination of blood cultures, potentially reducing risky overtreatment and unnecessary use of antibiotics for many patients. This approach could also substantially reduce healthcare costs, according to the study. Thousands of U.S. patients get their blood drawn every day for blood cultures in order to diagnose serious infections such as sepsis, which can be a deadly condition. A small but significant percentage of the blood cultures are contaminated, due in part to skin fragments containing bacteria that are dislodged during a blood draw. This leads to false results that can mislead clinicians into thinking a patient has a potentially serious bloodstream infection. The consequences are costly and put patients at risk.
Newswise hosts a virtual live press briefing on upcoming journal study with research results concerning a new blood collection technique that reduces contamination of blood samples and improves treatment outcomes.
In a virtual media briefing next Tuesday, May 16, at 11:30 a.m. EDT, noted infectious disease expert Mark Rupp, M.D. will detail the results of a forthcoming journal publication on a new device.
At a glance: Hospitalized patients have a slightly higher risk of dying when treated by older hospitalists—internal medicine specialists who oversee the care of acutely ill hospitalized patients. Physician age made no difference in patient mortality rates for doctors who treated large numbers of patients. The results suggest the critical importance of continuing medical education throughout the span of a physician’s professional career. Age played no role in patient readmission rates but older physicians were slightly more likely to incur greater treatment costs.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified a possible cause for a rare infection in heart and lung transplant recipients: the donor. The way in which heart and lung transplant recipients acquired a specific species of bacteria, Mycoplasma hominis, had been previously undefined, and the bacterium was difficult to test. Originally, this bacterium was considered to reside exclusively in, and be a potential pathogen of, the area of the reproductive and urinary organs – the genitourinary tract.
A new suite of phone apps developed at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) uses Android smart phones to monitor the physical mobility and stability of older people.
A new study has found that dementia rates increase when anticoagulation treatment is delayed for patients with atrial fibrillation, the most common heart arrhythmia in the world that affects more than 2.7 million American adults.
When it comes to a hospital stay, new research shows patients and family members care deeply about privacy, accessibility and comfort in their rooms -- things that they say can help them recover from illness or surgery.
By combining a patient’s traditional risk score with the Intermountain Mortality Risk Score (IMRS), physicians and patients are better equipped to evaluate a patient’s individual risk of stroke, bleeding, and mortality with atrial fibrillation, according to a new study of more than 80,000 patients from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.
• Chronic fluid overload was linked with an increased risk of early death in patients undergoing hemodialysis. • The magnitude of this risk was comparable to that of coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure.
In recognition of World Hand Hygiene Day, May 5, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) offers five hand-hygiene tips every hospital patient and their visitor should follow.
The Physic Garden at Pennsylvania Hospital is a labor of love 200 years in the making. Today, it serves as a place for patients, families, visitors, and PAH employees to seek a peaceful refuge, while also being reminded of our rich history.
Dermal fillers have become a popular alternative to surgery for patients who want a younger facial appearance. Learning about some key "danger zones" can help plastic surgeons to enhance the safety and effectiveness of facial filler procedures, according to an expert update in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
• Potentially preventable hospital acquired complications were associated with increased risks of dying while hospitalized or within 90 days of discharge, as well as with a greater likelihood of staying longer in the hospital and needing to be readmitted. • The magnitude of these associations was larger in patients with chronic kidney disease than in those with normal kidney function.
Winner of the Robert Florin Award, Michael Bohl, MD, presented his research, Overlapping Surgeries are not Associated with Worse Patient Outcomes: Retrospective Multivariate Analysis of 14,872 Neurosurgical Cases Performed at a Single Institution, during the 2017 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting.
A new report published today in the journal Anaesthesia reveals the positive impact of the donation of Lifebox pulse oximeters and training to patient safety in Malawi.
The Leapfrog Group, a leading national nonprofit watchdog on hospital quality and safety, today announced that Virginia Mason has once again received an “A” for patient safety in the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
Every year, falls lead to hospitalization or death for many elderly Americans. Standard clinical techniques generally cannot diagnose balance impairments before they lead to falls. But researchers now think virtual reality could be a big help in detecting and possibly reversing balance impairments.
Researchers at the University of Maryland have identified how the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses tension-activated membrane channels to stop itself from swelling up and bursting when it is suddenly exposed to water. The study, which will be published April 19 in The Journal of General Physiology, helps explain how this bacterium—a major cause of hospital-acquired infections—persists in a variety of different environments.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates quality, safety and transparency in the U.S. health care system, has named UC San Diego Health to its biannual list of hospitals with the highest safety standards in the country. UC San Diego Health hospitals in Hillcrest and La Jolla were among just 823 health care facilities nationwide to receive a grade of A for excellence in safety and quality.
New UC Project Finds Roadmap to Improve Patient Safety in Radiation Exposure
All three Rush hospitals – Rush University Medical Center, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush-Copley Medical Center – have received an ‘A’ grade, the highest possible, from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit patient safety watchdog organization. Leapfrog announced the latest round of its twice-yearly safety grades today.
Three speakers will address an estimated 500 CRNAs and student registered nurse anesthetists from around the country who will be in DC to attend the AANA’s Mid-Year Assembly and meet with policymakers on Capitol Hill.
The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF) announced the 2016 John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is among the members of I-PASS Study Group, a patient safety research collaboration, selected to receive the prestigious award during NQF's annual conference, Apr. 4-5, in Washington, DC.
The ACS NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator—based on highly detailed NSQIP data— is effective in providing a general purpose estimate of complication risk across a wide variety of operations, according to researchers whose findings appear today on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website.
Many patients come to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion or diagnosis confirmation before treatment for a complex condition. In a new study, Mayo Clinic reports that as many as 88 percent of those patients go home with a new or refined diagnosis — changing their care plan and potentially their lives. Conversely, only 12 percent receive confirmation that the original diagnosis was complete and correct.
Peripheral venous access devices are considered safer and easier to manage than central lines, but safer doesn’t mean without risk, and PVADs still require diligence to prevent complications, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse.
What’s a tried-and-true way to prepare for surgery and anesthesia? By paying close attention to the healthcare professionals who will be delivering your care and providing them with essential information about your health status, history, and habits.
FSMB President and CEO Humayun Chaudhry, DO, MACP, sits down with Claudette E. Dalton, MD, Chair of the FSMB’s Ethics and Professionalism Committee, to discuss regulations around compounding medicine, as well as a recent rise in fraud schemes involving kickbacks and deceptive business practices by some compounding pharmacies and prescribers.
Randall Linton, M.D. and Dennis Manning, M.D., were recently presented with the Mayo Clinic Diamond Quality Fellow Lifetime Achievement Award at Mayo Clinic’s annual Quality Conference.
In 2015, nearly 57 percent of all poison exposure cases nationwide involved prescription or over-the-counter medicines. So during National Poisoning Prevention Week, the Blue Ridge Poison Center at University of Virginia Health System is encouraging people to keep all medicines stored out of the sight and reach of children, read labels carefully before giving or taking any medicine, and to check their home for expired or unused medicines and dispose of them properly.
• Colonoscopies are being performed more often on healthier dialysis patients than on those with more limited life expectancies; however, overall, dialysis patients are being screened at a much higher rate relative to their life expectancy than their counterparts without kidney failure.
Hospitals that employ nurses who have specialty certification in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care have lower rates of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs), reports a study in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. Official journal of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN®) Society, the Journal of WOCN® is published by Wolters Kluwer.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right