A care transition poses a danger point for patients—failing to “hand off” needed information from one clinician to another can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The Joint Commission was so concerned about handoffs that in 2017 it issued a sentinel event alert on the topic. “Handoffs are a safety…

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In 2017, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Alert Event on the problem of inadequate handoff communication, focusing attention on this vital aspect of care. (See related story, p 22.) Clinicians and leaders agree that handoffs are important, but implementing them effectively can be challenging, particularly in the fast-paced perioperative…

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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery The implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is based on the concept of organizing care around the patient, addressing medical condition needs to optimize readiness for surgery and reducing the likelihood of postoperative complications. Efficacy is measured by how well we perform according to these…

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Editor's Note In this study from New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, nurses were found to sleep nearly an hour and a half less before work days than before days off, affecting patient care and safety. Using data from two surveys of 1,568 nurses collected in 2015 and…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 16 announced that Medtronic has recalled its SynchroMed II implantable infusion pump. The pump is being recalled because of the potential presence of foreign particles inside the pump motor assembly that may lead to a pump motor stall. Medtronic has…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission announced December 11 that starting January 1, 2020, it will no longer have contracts with ORYX chart-based vendors for accreditation or certification purposes. Hospitals with advanced certification programs must manually enter their performance measure data into the Certification Measure Information Process (CMIP) app on their…

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Editor's Note In this study, active cannabis use disorder was linked to an increased risk of postoperative myocardial infarction (MI). Researchers retrospectively analyzed 4,186,622 elective surgery patients in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Of 27,206 patients in the propensity-score matched-pairs cohort, there was no statistically significant difference between those with (400…

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Editor's Note Despite high rates of patients discharged with cardioprotective medications, the long-term burden of postoperative myocardial infarction (MI) after major vascular surgery is substantial, with a high mortality rate in the following year, this study finds. Of 26,231 vascular surgery patients analyzed, factors linked to an increased risk of postoperative…

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Editor's Note Bariatric surgery provides more benefits for obese patients than weight loss; it also reverses subclinical heart dysfunction, finds this study presented December 5 at EuroEcho 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Vienna, Austria. The study included 38 obese patients who had bariatric surgery…

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Editor's Note More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the US each year, resulting in more than 35,000 deaths, according to a new “Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States 2019” report from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). The CDC also notes that 223,900 cases of…

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