Patient Safety & Quality
Intravenous antibiotics, administered over 3 hours, are linked to lower death rates in sepsis
5 Feb, 2018 | 16:50h | UTCIntravenous antibiotics, administered over 3 hours, are linked to lower death rates in sepsis – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Prolonged versus short-term intravenous infusion of antipseudomonal β-lactams for patients with sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
CDC Offers Refresher on Safe-sleep Practices for Infants
4 Feb, 2018 | 18:32h | UTCCDC Offers Refresher on Safe-sleep Practices for Infants – American Academy of Family Physicians (free)
Related Guideline: SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment – Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, American Academy of Pediatrics (free)
Viewpoint: Incorporating Nursing Complexity in Reimbursement Coding Systems
4 Feb, 2018 | 17:36h | UTC
Systematic Review: E-learning for Health Professionals
30 Jan, 2018 | 19:17h | UTCE-learning for health professionals – Cochrane Library (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Guide to Safer Ambulatory Referrals in the EHR Era
30 Jan, 2018 | 19:04h | UTCClosing the Loop: A Guide to Safer Ambulatory Referrals in the EHR Era – Institute for Healthcare Improvement (free registration required)
Commentary: ACP endorses guidelines on patient referrals – ACP Internist (free)
To Care Is Human — Collectively Confronting the Clinician-Burnout Crisis
26 Jan, 2018 | 01:42h | UTCPerspectives: To Care Is Human — Collectively Confronting the Clinician-Burnout Crisis – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Beyond Burnout — Redesigning Care to Restore Meaning and Sanity for Physicians (free)
Related: Why Physician Burnout Is Endemic, and How Health Care Must Respond – NEJM Catalyst (free) AND Counting the costs: U.S. hospitals feeling the pain of physician burnout – Reuters (free)
Research: Trends in Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest During Nights and Weekends
26 Jan, 2018 | 01:26h | UTCTrends in Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest During Nights and Weekends – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Survival From In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Improves But Still Worse on Nights and Weekends – MedicalResearch.com (free)
AND Hospital patients less likely to survive ‘off-hours’ cardiac arrest – Reuters (free) AND You are still more likely to die in a hospital on the weekend – CNN (free)
See also a recent meta-analysis showing the “weekend effect” in surgical patients
Guideline: Duration of Contact Precautions for Acute-Care Settings
26 Jan, 2018 | 00:26h | UTCGuideline: Duration of Contact Precautions for Acute-Care Settings – Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) (free)
Summary and commentary: New guidelines issued on contact precautions for C. diff, resistant infections – ACP Hospitalist (free)
Guidelines for Fatigue Risk Management in Emergency Medical Services
23 Jan, 2018 | 16:49h | UTCCommentaries in the same issue: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Fatigue Risk Management in Emergency Medical Services: A Significant Step Forward and a Model for Other High-Risk Industries (free) AND What an Evidence-based Guideline for Fatigue Risk Management Means for Us: Statements From Stakeholders (free) AND Proposed Performance Measures and Strategies for Implementation of the Fatigue Risk Management Guidelines for Emergency Medical Services (free) AND Evidence-Based Guidelines for Fatigue Risk Management in Emergency Medical Services: A Step in the Right Direction Toward Better Sleep Health (free)
Meta-Analysis: Weekend Surgical Care and Postoperative Mortality
23 Jan, 2018 | 16:47h | UTCCommentary: Evidence Supports ‘Weekend Effect’ for Mortality after Surgery – Wolters Kluwer, via NewsWise (free)
“The odds of postoperative mortality were 27 percent higher for patients admitted to the hospital on Saturday or Sunday, compared to those hospitalized on a weekday” (from NewsWise).
5 Ways Poorly Thought out Health IT Can Worsen Patient Safety
23 Jan, 2018 | 14:36h | UTC5 ways poorly thought out health IT can worsen patient safety – KevinMD.com (free)
Ethical and Safety Issues of Stem Cell-Based Therapy
23 Jan, 2018 | 14:18h | UTCEthical and Safety Issues of Stem Cell-Based Therapy – International Journal of Medical Science (free)
Research: Older Adult-friendly Emergency Department Staff Help Reduce Hospital Admissions
23 Jan, 2018 | 13:28h | UTCCommentaries: Older adult-friendly emergency department staff help reduce hospital admissions – American Geriatrics Society, via EurekAlert (free) AND Emergency department program for older adults cuts hospitalizations by 33 percent – Northwestern University, via EurekAlert (free)
The Best Response to Medical Errors? Transparency
21 Jan, 2018 | 14:33h | UTCThe Best Response to Medical Errors? Transparency – AAMC News (free)
Related: The Michigan Model: Medical Malpractice and Patient Safety at UMHS (free)
Meta-analysis: Identifying Older Adults at Risk of Harm Following Elective Surgery
21 Jan, 2018 | 14:24h | UTCCommentary : Age itself is not a risk factor for complications after surgery among older patients – OnMedica (free)
“Q: What predicts poor outcome after elective surgery in older people?
A: Frailty, cognitive impairment, depression, smoking but NOT age per se”. (via @trishgreenhalgh see Tweet)
Can Your Hip Replacement Kill You?
16 Jan, 2018 | 19:09h | UTCCan Your Hip Replacement Kill You? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Lawsuits are pulling back the curtain on what some doctors call the Wild West of medicine: the untested and largely unregulated medical device industry” (via @NYTHealth see Tweet)
Most ICU Monitoring Alarms Are Not Clinically Relevant
16 Jan, 2018 | 17:06h | UTCCommentary: Most ICU Monitoring Alarms Are Not Clinically Relevant, Even as Technology Becomes More Accurate – American Association of Critical Care Nurses, via NewsWise (free)
What Physicians Can do About Ransomware
16 Jan, 2018 | 17:04h | UTCWhat physicians can do about ransomware – ACP Hospitalist (free)
“Protecting a practice doesn’t always require a large investment of money, just time and employee training”.
14 Improving Patient Flow in the ED: 7 Strategies for Nurses
16 Jan, 2018 | 13:48h | UTCWTBS 14 Improving Patient Flow in the ED: 7 Strategies for Nurses – Emergency Medicine Cases (free)
Related White Paper: Achieving Hospital-wide Patient Flow: The Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time – Institute for Healthcare Improvement (free registration required – PDF)
Opinion: For Doctors, Age May Be More Than a Number
16 Jan, 2018 | 13:22h | UTCFor Doctors, Age May Be More Than a Number – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Meta-analysis of Interventions to Reduce Adverse Drug Reactions in Older Adults
16 Jan, 2018 | 13:17h | UTCMeta-analysis of Interventions to Reduce Adverse Drug Reactions in Older Adults – Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
“Interventions designed to optimize medication use reduced the risk of any and serious ADRs in older adults. Implementation of these successful interventions in healthcare systems may improve medication safety in older adults”.
Checklists are no Substitute for Experience in Spotting Patients who are Deteriorating
12 Jan, 2018 | 16:51h | UTCChecklists are no substitute for experience in spotting patients who are deteriorating – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Early warning systems and rapid response to the deteriorating patient in hospital: A systematic realist review – Journal of Advanced Nursing (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Transfusing blood Close to its use-by date does not increase deaths in critically ill adults
3 Jan, 2018 | 14:23h | UTCTransfusing blood close to its use-by date does not increase deaths in critically ill adults – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Age of Red Cells for Transfusion and Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Led Medication Reconciliation After Hospital Discharge
3 Jan, 2018 | 13:14h | UTCSource: Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club
Opinion: Too Many Older Patients Get Cancer Screenings
1 Jan, 2018 | 12:27h | UTCToo Many Older Patients Get Cancer Screenings – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)