Editor's Note Leaders who sponsor other people in the workplace (ie, have a protégé) experience career benefits in the form of promotions or stretch assignments, the June 17 Harvard Business Review reports. A survey conducted for the book, “The Sponsor Effect: How to Be a Better Leader by Investing in…
Psychologists and social scientists developed the concept of emotional intelligence decades ago, and research since then has supported it as a key component of leadership success. “Thirty plus years’ worth of research shows that having leadership skills is not enough to be an effective leader,” says Kandi Wiens, EdD, MBA.…
The trust bestowed upon the nursing profession by the public is a privilege and requires professional accountability for continual practice enhancement. Research finds that efforts to improve the culture of the perioperative work environment consistently lead to better teamwork and communication among staff. These enhancements will positively impact the safety…
Editor's Note In this study from the Columbia University School of Nursing, New York City, researchers found that nurse understaffing is associated with increased risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Using data from 2007 to 2012 in a large urban hospital system: 15% of patient days had one shift understaffed (defined…
Editor's Note US hospitals added 4,200 jobs in February to a seasonally adjusted 5,212,700, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on March 8. That’s up 103,200 more employees than a year ago. Overall, healthcare employment has increased 361,100 in the past year. The overall unemployment rate declined by 0.2% in…
Communication breakdowns in the perioperative environment are a factor in 70% of events that adversely affect patients. Sometimes those breakdowns occur because OR staff are reluctant to voice their concerns in an environment that is hierarchical and intimidating. However, when an organization adopts patient safety first (PSF) initiatives, adverse outcomes…
Editor's Note Pierced earring holes can be a source of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) via cross-transmission of bacteria from the holes to nurses’ fingers, this study finds. For this analysis, earlobes and fingers of 200 nurses (128 with pierced ears and 72 unpierced) working at a university hospital in Japan…
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 issued a proposed rule with potential changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after January 1, 2019. According to CMS, the changes would increase the time available for physicians and other clinicians to spend with their patients…
Editor's Note On August 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) rule for FY 2019. The rule will empower patients and advance the White House “MyHealthData” initiative and the CMS “Patients…
Editor's Note Rates of infection after colonoscopies and osophagogastroduodenoscopies (OGDs) performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are higher than previously thought and vary widely by facility, this study from Johns Hopkins finds. Rates of postendoscopic infection per 1,000 procedures within 7 days were: 1.1 for screening colonoscopy 1.6 for nonscreening…