Editor's Note Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates have declined significantly over 8 years with the Veterans Affairs MRSA Prevention Initiative, this study finds. Between 2007 and 2015, MRSA HAI rates fell: 87% in ICUs 80.1% in non-ICUs 80.9% in spinal cord injury units 49.4% in long-term care.…

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Editor's Note The ECRI Institute on January 9 released its 2017 Top 10 Hospital C-Suite Watch List. The list includes both technologies and critical technology use issues that hospital leaders should be aware of. Included in the list are: an initiative to improve outcomes and costs of abdominal surgery hospital…

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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 A new survey shows the US implantable device market is expected to reach $73.9 billion by 2018, the January 6 Becker’s Spine Review reports. Among the survey findings: The market was valued at $43.1 billion in 2011. An increasing aging population, number of chronic degenerative diseases, and healthcare…

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Editor's Note Greater sharing of team mental models (ie, shared understanding of team members) leads to better team performance, this study finds. The study also found that team mental models predicted team performance over time. The study involved 30 interns participating in a simulation training program. The findings suggest that…

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Editor's Note The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has published new “Practice guidelines for preoperative fasting and the use of pharmacologic agents to reduce the risk of pulmonary aspiration: Application to health patients undergoing elective procedures.” The document updates its guidelines published in 2011. The guidelines are intended for use…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 4, 2017, classified the recall by Nurse Assist (Haltom City, Texas) of its IV Flush Syringes as Class I, the most serious. The recall was initiated because of a potential link to Burkholderia cepacia blood stream infections with the syringes.…

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Editor's Note Introduction of the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model for patients having ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy at a Kaiser Permanente facility was associated with decreased length of stay and unplanned hospital admissions in this study. A total of 878 patients were included in the preimplementation period, and 1,082 in the…

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Editor's Note No significant association was found between anesthesia service use and colonoscopy screening or colorectal cancer screening rates, suggesting that more evidence is needed to support the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule change that defined “screening colonoscopy” to include separately furnished anesthesia services, this study finds.           The…

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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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