Key tactics for OR emergency readiness: Supply audits, team drills
Editor’s Note: This page is a companion piece to the main article, Emergency preparedness: Identifying essential supplies for unplanned surgical events. While the main article outlines the principles of emergency readiness and supply preparation in the OR, the posts below offer a closer look at two key implementation areas: Supply…
FDA issues safety alert for Baxter Novum IQ large volume pumps
Editor's Note The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an early alert for Baxter’s Novum IQ Large Volume Pumps (Model 40700BAXUS) due to potential for underinfusion when transitioning from a flow rate to a higher flow rate (eg, rate change or bolus). According to the agency’s July 22…
Poor documentation, positioning top risks in perioperative malpractice cases
Editor's Note Failure to document thoroughly, position patients safely, and follow facility policies are leading causes of malpractice claims against perioperative nurses, according to an analysis published in the AORN Journal on May 28. Although physicians are more frequently named in malpractice suits, nurses are the primary provider responsible in…
AI-powered smart glasses catch drug errors
Editor's Note An AI-powered wearable camera has achieved 99.6% accuracy in detecting potentially deadly drug mix-ups, including in the OR, NBC News reported May 25. Developed by Kelly Michaelsen, MD, at UW Medicine, the smart glasses scan medication labels in real time, alerting anesthesia providers to syringe-vial mismatches before drugs…
Advance of AI in nursing prompts safety, autonomy concerns
Editor's Note Although hospitals are already integrating artificial intelligence (AI), nurses warn that the technology may undermine their expertise and compromise patient care, The Associated Press (AP) reported March 16. The push for AI in healthcare stems from widespread nursing shortages. More than 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the…
Analysis: How the new US malpractice standard puts evidence-based ‘reasonable care’ over customary practice
Editor's Note A February 26 letter in JAMA Network reported a revised legal standard for medical negligence in the US, shifting from traditional reliance on customary practice toward a more patient-centered, evidence-based definition of “reasonable care.” The American Law Institute (ALI) updated its framework in 2024, retaining elements of prevailing…
New legal standard redefines medical negligence
Editor's Note A revised legal standard for assessing medical negligence in the US shifts away from customary medical practice and toward a more patient-centered definition of reasonable care, according to a February 26 letter published in Jama Network. Following a 2024 update from the American Law Institute, the new framework…
Criminalizing anesthesia errors has unintended consequences, experts warn
Editor's Note Treating unintended anesthesia errors as criminal acts could exacerbate workforce shortages, increase malpractice costs, and drive clinicians to defensive medicine, according to experts quoted in a January 15 report from Anesthesiology News. Instead, fostering a culture of safety and learning could more effectively reduce errors and improve patient…
Study finds high rates of preventable, adverse events in perioperative care
Editor's Note Adverse events (AEs) remain widespread in perioperative care, affecting nearly one in three patients and resulting in substantial and often preventable patient harm, according to a retrospective cohort study published November 13 in The BMJ. The study analyzed 1,009 weighted admissions from a sample of 64,121 surgical patients…
Hospital safety grades show progress in reducing medical errors, infections
Editor's Note During the past few years, US hospitals have improved significantly in reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), adhering to hand hygiene best practices, and preventing medical errors, according to the fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit focused on patient safety. Released November 15, the rankings…
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