Editor's Note Using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s online toolkit, Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR), Maryland-based MedStar Health has set up a standardized program for physicians to communicate with patients and family members about adverse events, according to the August 22 Kaiser Health News. A team of physicians,…

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Editor's Note Professionalism education improved surgical resident understanding, awareness, and practice of professionalism in a significant manner in this study. A year-long professionalism curriculum was developed at New York University School of Medicine, New York City, which focused on challenges such as: admitting mistakes effective communication with colleagues at all…

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Editor's Note Hospitals can avoid medical-surgical patient handoff errors by using a web-based handoff tool to improve communication among physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, this study finds. Of 5,407 patients included in the study, 77 errors were detected before implementation of the handoff tool versus 45 after implementation. Brigham…

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Editor's Note Technical and nontechnical skills are both important to successfully and safely perform surgical procedures, according to recommendations presented August 5 at the National Surgical Patient Safety Summit in Rosemont, Illinois. Among the recommendations were that the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, and support staff ensure consistent use of surgical safety…

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Implementation of crew resource management training at a large academic medical center led to statistically significant improvements in 10 out of 12 dimensions of safety culture, according to surveys conducted before and after training took place. Crew resource management (CRM) is a systematic approach adapted from the airline industry to…

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Editor's Note Surgeon buy-in and surgical teamwork were crucial in prompting case-related conversations but not in completing surgical safety checklists, this study finds. Of 207 procedures observed by 10 South Carolina hospitals, few teams completed most or all surgical safety checklist items. All measures of teamwork and surgeon buy-in related…

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It was shortly after 2 am on Sunday, June 12. Ambulances, trucks, and cars started arriving at Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) loaded with shooting victims from a terrorist attack at the Pulse nightclub. Because ORMC was just a couple of blocks from the nightclub, first responders loaded multiple victims…

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Editor's Note Mangers who inspire their staff members who work in groups to perform above and beyond the call of duty may harm their employees' health, finds this study. The results suggest that constant pressure from transformational leaders to make an extra effort at work may promote self-sacrifice in vulnerable…

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Total joint replacements have grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to an aging population and advances in surgical techniques and pain management. As a result, many healthcare facilities have added joint and spine procedures to their service lines. Others would like to know how to do this. What’s involved in…

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Surgeon champions can make or break a perioperative initiative. But it’s not enough to simply identify a single champion. OR leaders must engage a wide range of physicians to improve the organizational structure of the healthcare system. At Intermountain Healthcare, a 22-hospital system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, surgical…

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