Patient Safety & Quality
Research: Prevalence and Economic Burden of Medication Errors
27 Feb, 2018 | 15:47h | UTCPrevalence and Economic Burden of Medication Errors in The NHS in England. Rapid evidence synthesis and economic analysis of the prevalence and burden of medication error in the UK – Policy Research Unit in Economic Evaluation of Health & Care Interventions (EEPRU) (free PDF)
Commentaries: More than 200 million medication errors occur in NHS per year, say researchers – The University of Sheffield News (free) AND Drug errors cause appalling harm and deaths, says Hunt – BBC (free)
Research: Patient Experience and Likelihood of 30-day Readmission
22 Feb, 2018 | 22:42h | UTCThe association between patient experience factors and likelihood of 30-day readmission: a prospective cohort study – BMJ Quality & Safety (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Higher patient satisfaction linked to lower readmissions – Modern Healthcare (free)
Source: Are Patients’ Hospital Experiences Linked to Readmissions? – NEJM Journal Watch ($)
Research: Opioid Analgesic Use and Risk for Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases
16 Feb, 2018 | 02:09h | UTCOpioid Analgesic Use and Risk for Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases: A Nested Case–Control Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Opioids may be associated with increased risk for serious invasive pneumococcal infections – ACP Internist (free) AND Opioids For Pain Can Exacerbate Pneumococcal Infections – MedicalResearch.com (free) AND Prescription Opioid Use Tied to Higher Pneumonia Risk – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Systematic Review: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Older People Admitted to a Surgical Service
16 Feb, 2018 | 01:32h | UTCComprehensive geriatric assessment for older people admitted to a surgical service – Cochrane Library (free)
Summary: Does special assessment of older people getting surgery improve their recovery after surgery? – Cochrane Library (free)
Quality improvement collaboratives can improve clinical processes and patient outcomes
16 Feb, 2018 | 01:07h | UTCQuality improvement collaboratives can improve clinical processes and patient outcomes – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Are quality improvement collaboratives effective? A systematic review – BMJ Quality & Safety (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Editor’s Choice: There but for the grace of God
15 Feb, 2018 | 11:32h | UTCEditor’s Choice: There but for the grace of God . . . – The BMJ (free)
About liability and error in medical practice.
The Cost of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Medicine
15 Feb, 2018 | 11:31h | UTCThe Cost of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Medicine – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Opinion: This flu season, physicians need to scrap the ‘martyr culture’ of working while sick
9 Feb, 2018 | 12:43h | UTCThis flu season, physicians need to scrap the ‘martyr culture’ of working while sick – STAT (free) (via @CMichaelGibson)
Related study: Working with influenza-like illness: Presenteeism among US health care personnel during the 2014-2015 influenza season – American Journal of Infection Control (link to abstract – $ for full-text) AND Commentaries: Working while sick – ACP Internist (free) AND Health worker survey reveals many work during flu illness – CIDRAP (free)
Care-Centered Clinical Documentation in the Digital Environment: Solutions to Alleviate Burnout
9 Feb, 2018 | 12:44h | UTCRelated Infographic: Date Night with the EHR – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Related Commentary: Why Physician Burnout Is Endemic, and How Health Care Must Respond – NEJM Catalyst (free)
Related Guideline: Putting Patients First by Reducing Administrative Tasks in Health Care: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians(free)
Research: Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on the Risk of Readmission
9 Feb, 2018 | 12:15h | UTCEffect of an In-Hospital Multifaceted Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on the Risk of Readmission: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Clinical Pharmacist Intervention Can Reduce ED Visits and Hospital Readmissions – MedicalResearch.com (free) AND Pharmacist-led extended medication review and follow-up on discharge may decrease risk of readmission – 2 Minute Medicine (free)
Research: Handover of Anesthesia Care and Adverse Postoperative Outcomes
9 Feb, 2018 | 11:27h | UTCAssociation Between Handover of Anesthesia Care and Adverse Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Major Surgery – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Anesthesia Care Hand Off Mid-Surgery Associated With Substantial Risk – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Complete Handoffs by Anesthesiologists Tied to Poor Outcomes – Medscape (free registration required)
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)