ECRI Institute: Boston Medical Center wins 2018 Health Devices Achievement Award
Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on May 17 announced that Boston Medical Center had won the 2018 Health Devices Achievement Award for its patient-centric mobile pulmonary care app. The ICOUGH Recovery app guides patients through the hospitals postoperative pulmonary care protocol, which focuses on: Incentive spirometry Coughing and deep breathing…
Cost-benefit analysis of maintaining a fully stocked MH cart in maternity units
Editor's Note This study found no cost benefit to maintaining a fully stocked malignant hyperthermia (MH) cart with a full supply of dantrolene in maternity units, where triggering agents are rarely used. Maintaining an MH cart in every maternity unit in the US would reduce morbidity and mortality costs by…
Joint Commission reduces requirements applicable to telehealth services in ambulatory care
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on May 16 announced that approximately 25% of applicable elements of performance (EPs) in its ambulatory care program will no longer apply to organizations that primarily provide surgical and nonsurgical services via a telehealth platform. Among the reductions: 12 EPs in the Environment of Care…
Homeless veterans at increased risk of postop readmission
Editor's Note For veterans having surgical procedures performed in the VA healthcare system, homelessness is an important risk factor for unplanned readmission, finds this study. Analyzing 232,373 surgical procedures performed on 199,879 patients, researchers found that 5,068 of the procedures were performed on homeless patients. The rate of readmission within…
Informal, specific praise motivates employees
Editor's Note Encouraging words are more appreciated when they are informal and specific in their praise, reports the May 15 Fast Company online. A few ways for managers to put this into practice include: Showing appreciation for an idea not just in meetings but during impromptu interactions, like corridor conversations.…
Working overtime associated with less collaboration between nurses and physicians
Editor's Note In this study, working overtime negatively influenced nurse-nurse and nurse-physician collaboration. Survey data from 24,013 nurses in 957 units from 168 hospitals in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators showed that one third of nurses work beyond their scheduled shifts. One hour of overtime was associated with…
FDA: Class I recall of Vyaire Medical AirLife Resuscitation Device & Broselow Convenience Kit
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 11 announced the Class I recall, the most serious, of Vyaire Medical Inc's (Lake Forest, Illinois) AirLife Resuscitation Device & Broselow Convenience Kit. The recall was initiated because of an error in product design that may result in difficulty or…
Preop walking test helps predict postop cognitive dysfunction
Editor's Note A simple 6-minute walking test before cardiac surgery helped predict the risk for cognitive issues after surgery, in this study from Japan. A 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) test was performed preoperatively on 181 patients who had nonemergency cardiac surgery. After surgery, 51 patients had postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).…
FDA: AuroMedics Pharma recalls two lots of Piperacillin and Tazobactam for Injection
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 8 announced the recall by AuroMedics Pharma (Windsor, New Jersey) of two lots of Piperacillin and Tazobactam for Injection, USP 3.375 g in a single-dose vial. The vials were found to contain particulate matter after reconstitution that was confirmed to…
Effect of ambient OR temperature on patient temperature
Editor's Note Ambient intraoperative OR temperature had a negligible effect on core temperature when patients were warmed with forced air in this study. The effect was larger when patients were passively insulated, but the magnitude remained small. A total of 292 adult patients were randomized to ambient temperatures 19º, 21º,…
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