Patient Safety & Quality
Changing the narratives for patient safety – World Health Organization
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:50h | UTCPerspectives: Changing the narratives for patient safety – World Health Organization (free)
“No simple solutions to patient safety: why we have to change the narratives” (RT @MaryDixonWoods See Tweet)
Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Home Residents
4 Jun, 2017 | 19:01h | UTCInvited commentary: A Triumph for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Long-term Care: Moving Beyond “Round Up the Usual Suspects”
Prophylactic Acid-Suppressive Therapy in Hospitalized Adults
2 Jun, 2017 | 18:39h | UTC
Diabetes – Injection and Infusion Technique Recommendations
1 Jun, 2017 | 18:31h | UTCCommentary: New Guidance Focuses on Best Injection Practices for Diabetes – Medscape (free registration required)
Related guideline: New Insulin Delivery Recommendations – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free)
The lap band for weight loss is a tale of medicine gone wrong
25 May, 2017 | 15:02h | UTCThe lap band for weight loss is a tale of medicine gone wrong – VOX (free)
See also a recent study showing high complication rates of laparoscopic gastric band surgeries in our May 23rd issue (see #7)
Effect of a Modified Hospital Elder Life Program on Delirium and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery
25 May, 2017 | 14:50h | UTCEffect of a Modified Hospital Elder Life Program on Delirium and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Commentary: Anti-delirium strategy reduces after-surgery confusion in elderly – Reuters Health (free)
Multicomponent nonpharmacologic interventions, including orienting communications, oral and nutritional assistance, and early mobilization reduced postoperative delirium by 56% and length of stay by 2 days.
Factors Associated with Pediatric Mortality from Motor Vehicle Crashes
25 May, 2017 | 14:47h | UTCCommentaries: 43 Percent Of Children Who Died From Car Crashes Were Improperly Restrained – NPR Health News (free)
Reoperation and Medicare Expenditures After Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery
23 May, 2017 | 14:25h | UTCReoperation and Medicare Expenditures After Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery – JAMA Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Following gastric band surgery, device-related reoperation common, costly – Science Daily (free) AND Safety, Effectiveness of Gastric Banding Called Into Question – Medscape (free registration required) AND 1 In 5 Gastric Band Surgeries Require Corrective Operations – American Council on Science and Health (free)
Pressure ulcer prevention and treatment
19 May, 2017 | 17:53h | UTCPressure ulcer prevention and treatment. Is ‘best practice’ evidence-based? – Cochrane Blogs: Evidence for Everyday Nursing (free) (RT @CochraneUK see Tweet)
Evidence for the treatment of pressure ulcers reviewed.
Measuring the Burden of Medications in Older Adults near the End of Life
16 May, 2017 | 20:00h | UTCSee related study on the use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in our April 10th issue, see #8 and Deprescribing guidelines for elderly in our May 8th issue, see #4.
Source: Patient often prescribed potentially futile drugs in their final months of life – Science Daily (free)
“Nearly half of older adults in Sweden take 10 or more medications in their last months of life” (from Science Daily)
Countering cognitive biases in minimizing low value care
12 May, 2017 | 19:34h | UTCReview: Countering cognitive biases in minimizing low value care – The Medical Journal of Australia (free)
“How cognitive bias affects clinical decision making and what to do about it. Well written & useful” (RT @carissa_bon and @JulieLeask see Tweet)
Risk of acute myocardial infarction with NSAIDs
11 May, 2017 | 18:38h | UTCCommentaries: Meta-Analysis: Just a Week of NSAID Use Tied to Increased Heart Attack Risk – Journal Watch (free) AND Common painkillers linked to increased risk of heart attack, study says – CNN (free) All NSAIDs Linked to Increased MI Risk – Medscape (free registration required)
Another study suggesting NSAIDs may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk.
Ten Principles of Good Prescribing
11 May, 2017 | 18:42h | UTCTen Principles of Good Prescribing – by J K Aronson, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) (free)
How To Do A Really Good Job Washing Your Hands
11 May, 2017 | 18:36h | UTCHow To Do A Really Good Job Washing Your Hands – NPR Health News (free)
See also World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Clean Hands” campaigns in our May 5th issue, see #2.
One-Third Of New Drugs Had Safety Problems After FDA Approval
10 May, 2017 | 18:22h | UTCPostmarket Safety Events Among Novel Therapeutics Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration Between 2001 and 2010 – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Nearly 1 In 3 Recent FDA Drug Approvals Followed By Major Safety Actions – Scientific American (free) AND One in Three Newly Approved Drugs Has Safety Issues – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND Safety Events Common in Newly Approved Drugs – Medscape(free registration required) AND New safety risks detected in one-third of FDA-approved drugs – The Washington Post (free) (RT @EricTopol see Tweet) AND One-Third Of New Drugs Had Safety Problems After FDA Approval – NPR Health News (free)
*Newer is not always better.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017
5 May, 2017 | 20:29h | UTCCenters for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017 – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @jankluytmans and @CIDRAP_ASP see Tweet)
Invited commentary: Surgical Site Infection Prevention – What We Know and What We Do Not Know – JAMA Surgery (free)
Commentary: ‘Long-Awaited’ CDC Guidelines on SSI Prevention Released – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection 2016 – World Health Organization (free)
8 things that excellent hospital doctors do
5 May, 2017 | 20:27h | UTCFirst opinion: 8 things that excellent hospital doctors do – STAT News (free)
Give patients access to their medical records
5 May, 2017 | 20:20h | UTCEditor’s Choice: Give patients access to their medical records – The BMJ, by Fiona Godlee, editor in chief (free)
Patients are being empowered in decisions regarding their health care, and this is probably a tendency for the future.
Urinary catheter care: what does the evidence say?
4 May, 2017 | 20:12h | UTCUrinary catheter care: what does the evidence say? – Cochrane Library (free)
“How frequently should indwelling urinary catheters be changed? Are catheter washouts effective? Which type of catheter reduces rates of urinary tract infection?”. This post look at the evidence regarding urinary catheter care.
Advil, Motrin and other NSAIDs painkillers should be prescription only, Danish study says
28 Apr, 2017 | 16:37h | UTCAdvil, Motrin and other NSAIDs painkillers should be prescription only, Danish study says – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (free) (RT @medpagetodaysee Tweet)
Original article: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is associated with increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide case–time–control study – European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (free)
See more commentaries on this study in our March 17 issue, see #5.
Relationship between hospital ward design and healthcare-associated infection rates
25 Apr, 2017 | 15:46h | UTCRelationship between hospital ward design and healthcare-associated infection rates: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control (RT @brhospitalist and @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Single-patient rooms and easily accessible hand rub dispensers located near the patient’s bed are the most effective measures.
Nursery Product-Related Injuries
25 Apr, 2017 | 15:49h | UTCNursery Product-Related Injuries Treated in United States Emergency Departments – Pediatrics (free)
Source: Common Nursery Products Send Thousands of Children to Hospitals – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) (RT @CMichaelGibson)
Baby carriers, mattresses, strollers, high chairs, changing tables, bath seats and other ordinary nursery products lead to injuries and emergency room visits for 66,000 children a year in U.S.
Mortality Trends After Surgical Safety Checklist
20 Apr, 2017 | 14:31h | UTCMortality Trends After a Voluntary Checklist-based Surgical Safety Collaborative – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – free PDF available)
Sources: Global Health NOW Newsletter (free) AND South Carolina Hospitals Saw Surgery Deaths Drop After Implementing WHO Checklist – AJMC News (free) AND A simple checklist prevents deaths after surgery, a large new study suggests – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
See also: WHO Surgical Safety Checklist – World Health Organization (free) AND A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Short term use of oral corticosteroids and related harms
13 Apr, 2017 | 16:07h | UTCCorticosteroids, even if used for short periods of time, seems to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this retrospective cohort with 1.5 million adults, the incidence of acute adverse events (sepsis, venous thromboembolism, fracture) increased by twofold to fivefold above background rates.
How Many Pills Are Too Many?
12 Apr, 2017 | 15:56h | UTCHow Many Pills Are Too Many? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Evidence has mounted about the dangers of taking multiple, perhaps unnecessary, medications” (from Tweet)