Report: Antibiotic Resistance More Prevalent in Device-Associated Infections
The report compiled data from more than 5,600 facilities from 2015 to 2017 and found that resistance was consistently higher for device-associated healthcare-acquired infections than for the same bacteria identified after surgical procedures. The devices studied were those used for a limited time in a hospital setting such as central lines, ventilators, and urinary catheters.
Q&A: The Impact of To Err is Human at 20
Since the report’s initial claim that as many as 98,000 people die annually from medical errors, there have been major strides in changing healthcare organization’s systemic problem, workplace cultures, and improvement processes.
Freestanding Emergency Departments Can Increase Patient Spending
The recent study, which was published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine, examined freestanding emergency department data collected in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas from January 2013 to December 2017. The researchers focused on total spending on emergency care, out‐of‐pocket spending, utilization, and price per visit.
Workplace Violence Legislation Moves Forward
The bill, which passed by a 251-158 vote, ensures that healthcare and social service employers, including hospitals, take specific steps to prevent workplace violence and ensure the safety of patients and workers.
Indiana Hospital: Sterilization Issue Put 1,200 Patients at Risk of Infection
The hospital sent a letter to affected patients, announcing that one of the hospital’s seven surgical instrument sterilization technicians failed to complete one of the steps required in the sterilization process with certain instruments.
Four Initiatives of Patient Experience Success at UnityPoint Health
This year, West Des Moines, Iowa–based UnityPoint Health’s UnityPoint Clinic division achieved a top 10% ranking from Press Ganey Associates, a national leader in patient satisfaction surveys.
Stop Emergency Department Violence Against Nurses, Physicians
The campaign’s goal is to support, empower, and protect ED workers by raising awareness of the serious dangers emergency health providers face every day. The program also aims to spur action among stakeholders and policymakers to ensure a violence-free workplace for emergency nurses and physicians.
ECRI Institute, ISMP to Combine Efforts
The transaction, which is expected to close on January 2, will see ISMP become a subsidiary of ECRI Institute. Both are nonprofit organizations that promote patient safety by highlighting adverse effects, near misses, and unsafe conditions in various healthcare settings.
CDC: Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Problem Is Worse Than Originally Thought
Since the original report six years ago, prevention efforts have reduced deaths from AR infections by 18% overall and nearly 30% in hospitals. But the increased number of infections in this new report was found by using previously unavailable data sources.
New Survey Casts Doubt on Severity of Physician Shortage
The new survey report, which is based on data collected from 2,000 patients and 750 physicians, says the AAMC’s physician shortage estimate could be overstated. In particular, the survey report found that only 19% of patients struggled to have a new visit with a generalist and only 15% struggled to set a new visit with a specialist.