Patient Safety & Quality
Systematic Analysis: Measuring Performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index Worldwide
28 May, 2018 | 12:19h | UTCInvited Commentary: Going further to measure improvements in health-care access and quality (free)
Pre-Post Intervention Study: Decreased Surgical Site Infection Rate in Hysterectomy
28 May, 2018 | 12:21h | UTCDecreased Surgical Site Infection Rate in Hysterectomy: Effect of a Gynecology-Specific Bundle – Obstetrics & Gynecology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Surgical site infection rate can be reduced in hysterectomy – MedicalXpress (free) AND Prevention Bundle Halves Rate of Surgical Site Infections, Study Suggests – Medscape (free registration required)
Cohort Study: Incidence and Cost of Medication Harm in Older Adults Following Hospital Discharge
24 May, 2018 | 23:35h | UTCCommentaries: Medication-related harm is common in older adults after hospital discharge – OnMedica (free) AND Medication-related harm found to be common among older adults, but preventable – News Medical (free)
Randomized Trial: Family-Support Intervention in Intensive Care Units
24 May, 2018 | 23:36h | UTCEditorial: Nurse-Led Communication in the Intensive Care Unit (free)
Commentary: Team Approach to Support Families Improves ICU Patient-Centered Care and Lowers Costs – University of Pittsburg (free)
Guideline: Use of Atraumatic Needles in All Patients Undergoing Lumbar Puncture
23 May, 2018 | 12:32h | UTCRapid Recommendations: Atraumatic (pencil-point) versus conventional needles for lumbar puncture: a clinical practice guideline – The BMJ (free)
“We issue a strong recommendation for use of atraumatic needles in all patients (adults and children) undergoing lumbar puncture because they decrease complications and are no less likely to work than conventional needles”
Pre-Post Intervention Study: Adverse Events Decline After Elimination of Contact Precautions
23 May, 2018 | 12:12h | UTCNoninfectious Hospital Adverse Events Decline After Elimination of Contact Precautions for MRSA and VRE – Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Hospital adverse events decline after routine contact precautions removed – Healio (free registration required)
Perspective: Trying to Put a Value on the Doctor-Patient Relationship
21 May, 2018 | 13:09h | UTCTrying to Put a Value on the Doctor-Patient Relationship – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“In its push for profits, the U.S. health care system has made it difficult for patients to get personal attention from doctors. But what if hands-on medicine actually saves money — and lives?”
Review: Quality Improvement and Emerging Global Health Priorities
16 May, 2018 | 00:43h | UTCSource: International Health Policies Newsletter
Perspective: Surgical Checklists Save Lives — but Once in a While, They Don’t. Why?
16 May, 2018 | 00:40h | UTCSurgical Checklists Save Lives — but Once in a While, They Don’t. Why? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
FDA Safety Alert: Neurovascular Stents in the Treatment of Unruptured Brain Aneurysms
14 May, 2018 | 11:57h | UTCNeurovascular Stents Used for Stent-Assisted Coiling (SAC): Letter to Health Care Providers – Recommendations Associated With the Use of These Devices in the Treatment of Unruptured Brain Aneurysms – U.S. Food & Drug Administration (free)
Commentary: FDA Cautions on Stents for Unruptured Brain Aneurysms – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free) AND FDA issues safety alert on stents used in aneurysm coiling – Univadis (free registration required)
Meta-Analysis: Effect of Post-discharge Virtual Wards on Outcomes in Heart Failure and Non-heart Failure Populations
10 May, 2018 | 17:52h | UTCCommentary: Hospital-to-home transitional care reduces deaths, readmissions for heart failure – Cardiovascular Business (free)
WHO Campaign: Clean Your Hands
10 May, 2018 | 17:34h | UTCSAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 5 May 2018 – World Health Organization Campaign (free guidelines, implementation tools, infographics, videos and more)
“It’s in your hands – prevent sepsis in health care”
Meta-Analysis: Flexible Versus Restrictive Visiting Policies in ICUs
9 May, 2018 | 16:17h | UTCFlexible Versus Restrictive Visiting Policies in ICUs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Critical Care Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Flexible ICU visiting hours tied to less delirium and anxiety – Reuters (free)
Systematic Review: Factors Determining the Success and Failure of eHealth Interventions
9 May, 2018 | 16:14h | UTC
Meta-Analysis: Economics of Palliative Care for Hospitalized Adults With Serious Illness
3 May, 2018 | 20:32h | UTCEconomics of Palliative Care for Hospitalized Adults With Serious Illness: A Meta-analysis – JAMA Internal Medicine (free for a limited period)
Commentaries: Study: Palliative Care Reduces Hospital Stay, Cost of Sickest Patients – U.S. News (free) AND Prompt Palliative Care Saves Money, Especially in Sickest Patients – MedPage Today (free registration required)
AHRQ Guide: Improving Patient Safety in Primary Care Settings by Engaging Patients and Families
3 May, 2018 | 20:22h | UTCSee also: About the Guide (free) AND Infographic (free PDF) AND Quick Start Guide (free)
Guideline: Optimal Use of Ionizing Radiation in Cardiovascular Imaging
3 May, 2018 | 20:05h | UTCCommentary: New Expert Consensus Document Provides Best Practices For Ionizing Radiation Safety – American College of Cardiology (free)
Cohort Study: Preventability of Early Versus Late Hospital Readmissions
3 May, 2018 | 19:54h | UTCPreventability of Early Versus Late Hospital Readmissions in a National Cohort of General Medicine Patients – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Hospital care quality more likely a factor in early versus late readmissions – ACP Hospitalist (free) AND Hospital readmissions occurring within 7 days post-discharge may be more preventable than later readmissions – 2 Minute Medicine (free)
Case–Crossover Study: Association Between Home Care Visits and Same-Day Emergency Department Use
3 May, 2018 | 18:44h | UTCCommentaries: Seniors more likely to visit the ER after nurse’s home care visit – McMaster University (free) AND Seniors visit ER’s more frequently after nurse’s home care visit – UPI (free)
Perspective: Time to Start Using Evidence-Based Approaches to Patient Engagement
3 May, 2018 | 18:38h | UTCTime to Start Using Evidence-Based Approaches to Patient Engagement – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Polypharmacy Guidance, Realistic Prescribing
27 Apr, 2018 | 02:58h | UTCPolypharmacy Guidance, Realistic Prescribing 3 rd Edition, 2018 – Scottish Government Polypharmacy Model of Care Group (free PDF) (via @trishgreenhalgh)
Related Reviews: Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Medicine (free) AND Routine deprescribing of chronic medications to combat polypharmacy – Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety (free) AND Polypharmacy—an Upward Trend with Unpredictable Effects – Deutsches Ärzteblatt international (free) AND Clinical Consequences of Polypharmacy in Elderly – Expert Opinion on Drug Safety (free)
“Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should” – supporting informed decision-making
27 Apr, 2018 | 02:56h | UTC
Incorporating Medication Indications Into the Prescribing Process
27 Apr, 2018 | 02:53h | UTCSource: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club (free)
Observational Study: Age and Sex of Surgeons and Mortality of Older Surgical Patients
27 Apr, 2018 | 02:44h | UTCAge and sex of surgeons and mortality of older surgical patients: observational study – The BMJ (free)
Editorial: Links between age and sex of surgeons and patients’ outcomes (free)
Commentary: Study Suggests Older Surgeons Produce Lower Mortality Rates in Emergency Procedures – UCLA, via NewsWise (free)
Cluster Randomized Trial: Effect of Physician Cross-checking on Reducing Adverse Events in the ED
27 Apr, 2018 | 01:08h | UTCEffect of Systematic Physician Cross-checking on Reducing Adverse Events in the Emergency Department: The CHARMED Cluster Randomized Trial – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Systematic crosschecking between emergency physicians may decrease adverse events – 2 Minute Medicine (free) AND Case-Sharing in ED Puts Dent in Medical Errors, With Serious Caveat – MedPage Today (free registration required)