Rules and Regulations
The Joint Commission revises definition of suicide in Sentinel Event Policy
Editor's Note Starting January 1, healthcare organizations must consider an expanded timeframe and range of care services when reporting patient suicide as a sentinel event to The Joint Commission. According to the December 13 announcement of the change to the organization’s Sentinel Event Policy, the revised definition “better reflects current…
HHS releases concept paper on cybersecurity for healthcare sector
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new concept paper on the department’s strategy regarding cybersecurity for the healthcare sector, a December 6 HHS press release reports. The paper details four pillars for action: publishing new voluntary healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals working with Congress…
Study examines infection precautions during pandemic based on healthcare roles
Editor's Note A first-of-its-kind study examined a range of different professional healthcare roles during the pandemic and how they complied with precaution guidelines around infection prevention. The study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control on December 6, found statistically significant differences between job roles. The researchers conducted a…
Postoperative opioid prescriptions falling, but more improvement needed
Editor's Note A new study finds that while opioid prescriptions for postoperative pain relief have continued to decline, that downward trend has slowed since 2020, indicating the need for continued work to right-size opioid prescriptions for surgery patients. The findings were published by JAMA Network on December 7. Researchers looking…
New Joint Commission certification addresses secondary use of data
Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced a new certification program in a December 5 Global Newswire press release. The new certification provides guidance to healthcare organizations on the safe transfer of patient data to third-party organizations. The voluntary Responsible Use of Health Data (RUHD) Certification program aims to help hospitals…
Lack of accurate information on patient deaths in California strains resources
Editor's Note In California, 20% of patients who have died were still being shown as alive with a serious illness in their medical records, leading to wasteful outreach and strain on hospital workers’ time, MedicalXpress December 4 reports. The findings were originally published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Due to a…
Mastering social media responsibility: A guide for OR leaders
In today’s digital age, social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are transforming the ways we connect and communicate. Through these platforms, users can share information, ideas, and personal messages, as well as build networks and communities. It is also becoming an integral part of everyday life.…
How internal staffing agencies benefit the OR suite
Takeaways Clinical hours per case is a simple, yet effective, productivity metric. Analysis of productivity measures can include benchmarking against external and internal data. A positive work culture will improve staff productivity. Many health systems rely on external, third-party agencies to deploy nurses and other staff. But when a situation…
Research study assessing accuracy of ChatGPT in medical diagnoses
Editor's Note A May 2023 study shows that ChatGPT–a large language model artificial intelligence chatbot–can make accurate diagnoses and care management decisions but is less adept at differential diagnosis. The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The research team from Mass General Brigham inputted all 36…
AI apps accurately diagnose pigmented skin cancer
Editor's Note A new study analyzed the accuracy of diagnosis and therapy recommendations of two AI-based smartphone apps compared to recommendations coming from doctors. The findings were published in The Lancet Digital Health in October 2023. In the study, the AI-assisted app was compared with both medical experts and less…
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