Editor's Note Nearly half of patient face-to-face contacts with health care providers, such as checkups, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions, were missing from electronic health records (EHRs) in this study. The problem is caused by the inability of software systems to talk to each other. Because of the 2009 Health…
Editor's Note The addition of the clinical nurse leader role in school curriculums attests to the importance of this role in nursing, the April 18 Nurse.com reports. Nurse faculty members have the power to shape their students’ knowledge and understanding of what a nurse leader is through their attitude and…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 20 announced that Pharmakon Pharmaceuticals (Noblesville, Indiana) issued a nationwide recall of all sterile compounded products because of a lack of sterility assurance and other quality issues. The sterile products were distributed between March 4 and April 15, 2016. …
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on April 18 issued its hospital inpatient prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule for FY 2017 that includes two adjustments to reverse the effects of the 0.2% cut it instituted when implementing the two-midnight rule, AHA News Now reports. Included…
Editor's Note In today’s opioid epidemic, people are looking for a scapegoat, and often it is the Joint Commission’s pain standards that take the blame, says David W. Baker, MD, MPH, FACP, in response to an April 13 letter from five dozen nonprofit groups and medical experts laying out issues…
Editor's Note The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on April 18 announced an initiative to support research to better understand and address disparities in surgical care and outcomes for disadvantaged populations. The new program will involve collaboration among several NIH institutes and centers along with the Agency for Healthcare Research…
Editor's Note A new congressional investigation shows that the number of infections from contaminated duodenoscopes is much higher than previously estimated, the April 15 Los Angeles Times reports. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told investigators that from 300 to 350 patients at 41 facilities in the US and abroad…
Editor's Note After six consecutive night shifts, anesthesia residents experienced significantly impaired control of all driving variables including speed, lane position, throttle, and steering in a driving simulator. They also were more likely to be involved in collisions. In addition, reaction times increased with a significant increase in the number of minor…
Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 15 issued draft guidance on “Hospital and Health System Compounding Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” Hospital pharmacies or standalone pharmacies that are part of a health system provide compounded drugs for administration in the hospital or health…
Editor's Note Nurses are becoming innovators at the MakerHealth Space at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston---a workspace where they can brainstorm ideas for healthcare innovations that will improve patient care, and they can build prototypes of their ideas. MakerHealth Space began as an expedition site for a concept from…