Editor's Note Patient safety indicators measured by case mix index and risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality show a return to pre-pandemic improvement trajectories in US hospitals, according to research findings published November 12 in JAMA. These findings come from a retrospective cohort study that looked at encounter-level administrative and financial data from…

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Editor's Note Joint Commission released 14 briefs designed to help accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals translate the accreditation organization’s National Performance Goals (NPGs), into actionable practices, according to a November 12 Joint Commission news story. Joint Commission’s NPG chapter for accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals will become effective…

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Editor's Note Procedures involving pneumatic tourniquets can be associated with an increased the risk of complications and injuries such as postprocedural skin complications. A recent review of evidence-based practices for safety during surgery when using a pneumatic tourniquet published in the November issue of AORN Journal. This article provided an…

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It is no long best practice to deliver education via a traditional lecture with PowerPoint slides or an unimaginative online learning module. “These techniques are boring and not effective,” says Beverly Kirchner, MSN, BSN, RN, CNOR(E), CASC, chief compliance officer for SurgeryDirect, LLC. “Staff just listen or read the information,…

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Editor's Note A Johns Hopkins team is reporting unprecedented success in preventing pancreatic cancer recurrence by combining pre-surgical and intraoperative radiation focused on a key anatomical area near the pancreas, News Medical Life Sciences October 30 reports. Citing a Johns Hopkins Medicine preliminary study, this approach reportedly reduced recurrence around…

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When it comes to treating chronic pain—or pain associated with surgery—clinicians are always looking for alternatives to opioids. “There are zero advantages to chronic opioid use,” says Earl Kilbride, MD, MHA, an orthopedic surgeon at the Austin Orthopedic Institute. While the US makes up about 4.4% of the global population,…

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Editor's Note A Phase III clinical trial comparing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with traditional open-heart surgery found no significant differences in key health outcomes 7 years after treatment, Cedars-Sinai October 27 reports. The international PARTNER 3 trial, led by Raj Makkar, MD, and published in The New England Journal…

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Editor's Note In an opinion piece published by STAT on October 30, authors Judy Stone, MD, retired infectious disease physician, medical journalist, and author, and Judith Feinberg, MD, professor of medicine/infectious disease and professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, argue that new…

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Editor's Note Senator Bernie Sanders and nurse leaders are demanding immediate federal action to address what they describe as a national nurse staffing crisis that is driving moral distress among nurses and putting patients at risk, Nurse.org October 27 reports. A US Senate HELP Committee hearing spotlighted compelling testimony from…

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Pinpoint accuracy in surgical technique has advanced beyond what many ever thought possible. Unfortunately, such refinements have been slower to reach the perioperative business front. OR leaders often rely on vague metrics and educated guesses to guide their teams. Ambient artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that. When integrated with data…

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