Feature Channels: Patient Safety

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In a new paper published early online by the Annals of Surgery, physician-researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center describe a new tool called the HARM score that reliably measures quality and clinical outcomes for colon and rectal surgery patients. The name of the tool reflects the data sources used to calculate the score: HospitAl stay, Readmission rate, and Mortality. The paper demonstrates a strong correlation between the HARM score, and the quality of clinical outcomes achieved by surgeons and hospitals for patients having major abdominal surgery.

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Simply replacing the connector in the IV system in patients with central lines could help reduce deadly bloodstream infections, researchers at Georgia Regents University have found.

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Physicians may be able to complete simple tasks concurrently while diagnosing a patient without affecting the accuracy or speed of diagnoses, human factors researchers have suggested, based on the findings of a recent laboratory experiment. Complex tasks, however, that require tapping into memory appear to slow the decision-making process, resulting in measurable delays in completing the diagnoses.

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A study by Johns Hopkins researchers shows that a fifth of U.S. neurologists appear unaware of serious drug safety risks associated with various anti-epilepsy drugs, potentially jeopardizing the health of patients who could be just as effectively treated with safer alternative medications.

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Pediatric cancer patients whose central lines are used to treat them at home develop three times as many dangerous bloodstream infections from their devices than their hospitalized counterparts, according to the results of a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study.

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Forced-air systems used to keep patients warm during surgery may affect the performance of operating room (OR) ventilation systems—potentially increasing exposure to airborne contaminants, reports a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulators have issued a warning on the blood pressure drug known generically as olmesartan medoxomil.

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When hospital senior management supports the creation and maintenance of a strong safety culture, patient outcomes improve, staff productivity increases, and there is less clinical employee turnover, according to research reported in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.

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A comprehensive infection control program combined with an active surveillance process significantly reduced the incidence of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections in a long-term acute care hospital, according to a study published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.

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Residents in anesthesiology training programs have high rates of burnout and depression, reports a survey study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is one of the world’s oldest and most widely used anesthetics, but concerns that it raises the risk of a heart attack during surgery or soon afterward are unfounded, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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The American College of Radiology (ACR) urges parents not to delay or forego needed medical imaging care for their children based solely on a study (Miglioretti et al) on radiation risk from pediatric computed tomography (CT) scans to be published online in JAMA Pediatrics. Parents should, however, discuss the risks and benefits of any procedure, including CT scans, with their child’s physician and factor this important information into their joint decision-making.

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A newfound genetic marker promises to better predict warfarin dose in African-Americans, according to a study published online today in The Lancet.

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A new study from Columbia University School of Nursing supports a growing body of evidence that women are less likely to contract bloodstream or surgical site infections than their male counterparts.

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Using germ-killing soap and ointment on all intensive-care unit (ICU) patients can reduce bloodstream infections by up to 44 percent and significantly reduce the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in ICUs, according study results published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

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Johns Hopkins scientists report that a 10-minute test for “frailty” first designed to predict whether the elderly can withstand surgery and other physical stress could be useful in assessing the increased risk of death and frequent hospitalization among kidney dialysis patients of any age.

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Johns Hopkins researchers report that hospitals may be reaping enormous income for patients whose hospital stays are complicated by preventable bloodstream infections contracted in their intensive care units.

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Data from new electronic anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) can be used to assess surgical procedure- and institution-specific blood requirements, according to a study from the June issue of Anesthesiology.

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A study published in the June issue of Anesthesiology represents an important first step in establishing new therapeutic options targeting specific genetic areas that influence the occurrence and severity of sepsis – a life-threatening, whole-body response to infection.

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Research on different types of IV connectors led a Johns Hopkins cancer center to pilot a “neutral pressure” IV connector, according to a scientific presentation at the annual meeting of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).

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ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA ─ Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago.

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In ICU patients who have septic shock, the anatomic source of infection has a strong effect on the chances of survival, according to a new study from researchers in Canada.

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Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System, received an "A" from The LeapFrong Safety review evaluations.

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Improving people’s knowledge and skills about their medications may be best achieved with multimedia patient education materials, finds a new systematic review in The Cochrane Library.

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To improve patient safety, hospitals should randomly test physicians for drug and alcohol use in much the same way other major industries in the United States do to protect their customers.

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Clinical expertise is paramount to a rapid response team’s effectiveness, but strong teamwork and good communication among its multidisciplinary members are critical for optimal patient safety, according to a study in American Journal of Critical Care.

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School's first such offering features patient-safety heavyweights Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb and Peter Pronovost.

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As part of a comprehensive quality and patient safety program, a major national hospital network reported in the Journal of Healthcare Quality (JHQ) that more than 90 percent of its clinical personnel in the last three years received seasonal influenza vaccinations to help protect patients and co-workers from flu-transmission risk.

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New, low-tech teaching techniques used by novice instructors may improve training for healthcare providers in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on children who suffer cardiac arrest. Researchers in a large multicenter study say their findings hold the potential to standardize and upgrade life support training by hundreds of thousands of instructors around the world.

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In reviewing 25 years of U.S. malpractice claim payouts, Johns Hopkins researchers found that diagnostic errors — not surgical mistakes or medication overdoses — accounted for the largest fraction of claims, the most severe patient harm, and the highest total of penalty payouts. Diagnosis-related payments amounted to $38.8 billion between 1986 and 2010, they found.

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A recent AIG study shows that hospital C-Suite and Risk Managers struggle with maintaining patient safety. Maximizing patient safety is the top priority for hospital C-Suite executives and Risk Managers in the United States – but, “lack of teamwork, negative culture and poor communication” will present barriers to patient safety in the future – according to a new survey commissioned by American International Group (AIG) in consultation with patient safety expert, Dr. Marty Makary, MD, MPH.

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The neurosurgical specialty’s leading organization and its members stress the importance of improved quality of care for all patients, as well as the critical need to recognize the symptoms and signs of concussion.

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American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, National Patient Safety Foundation collaborate to hold Patient Safety Summit May 22 in Boston.

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A UIC study finds health outcomes improve when physicians individualize care and take their patients' life circumstances into account.

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As hospitals strive to improve patient safety and quality of medical care, they should consider widespread use of existing video recording systems already in place to document procedures, to use as a teaching tool and to figure out what’s going right or wrong.

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Use of a vaccine to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infections among patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery did not reduce the rate of serious postoperative S aureus infections compared with placebo and was associated with increased mortality among patients who developed S aureus infections, according to a study in the April 3 issue of JAMA.

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Patients receiving antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of infection from Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a common cause of diarrhea, particularly in health care settings, Mayo Clinic researchers have found.

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At hospitals around the U.S., young doctors work long hours as part of their residency training. But a new study in more than 2,300 residents raises questions about how well recent rule changes about their work hours are fulfilling their goal of protecting both patients and new doctors.

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Limiting the number of continuous hours worked by medical trainees failed to increase the amount of sleep each intern got per week, but dramatically increased the number of potentially dangerous handoffs of patients from one trainee to another, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests. The reductions in work hours also decreased training time, the researchers found.

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Location, location, location. A new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study shows the real-estate mantra also holds true when it comes to choosing correct catheter placement in children.

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National organizations representing boards regulating U.S. physicians, pharmacists and nurses continue dialogue on shared advocacy agenda.

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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new report, Making Health Care Safer II, which identifies the top 10, evidence-based patient safety strategies available to clinicians.

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In a Position Statement unveiled today, The Endocrine Society advocates that all methods for measuring estrogens, which play a crucial role in human biology, be made traceable to a common standard.

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Patients undergoing cerebral angiography and neurointerventional procedures on the brain are at very low risk of infection—even without preventive antibiotics, reports a study in the March issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced its recognition of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 3-9, 2013. Throughout the week, ASA will educate patients on the importance of physician-led care to make critical, life-saving decisions.

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An estimated 300,000 U.S. patients get surgical site infections every year, and while the causes are varied, a new University of Utah study suggests that some who get an infection can blame it partly on their genes.

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People who take the newest class of diabetes drugs to control blood sugar are twice as likely as those on other forms of sugar-control medication to be hospitalized with pancreatitis, Johns Hopkins researchers report.

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• Dialysis patients using catheters to access the blood have the highest risks for death, infections, and cardiovascular events compared with patients using other types of vascular access. • Higher quality studies are needed to determine the true safety of different types of vascular access used for hemodialysis. Worldwide, more than 1.5 million people are treated with hemodialysis.

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Many existing EHR systems are not tailored to capture or process health information about children. The new format allows for child-specific data elements.