Public Policy Contributor Brad Flansbaum writes… I have come across some topical material that might have some interest for SHM blog readers and thought I would pass it along. It goes without saying, you can read it while “inspecting” your child’s trick or treat bag; just don’t get chocolate on the keyboard.
In this large cohort of patients tested for Cdiff by PCR, repeat testing of patients (that were initially test negative) was rarely helpful, as 97.5% of the repeat tests were also negative. The authors recommend not to do repeat testing within 7 days, unless the patient has evidence of a new infection (abstract).
According to the AHRQ, hospital mortality rates have significantly declined for CHF, AMI, pneumonia, and stroke, dropping 60%, 47%, 55%, and 35% respectively from 1994 to 2007. These are likely a result of improvements in process measures as mandated by regulatory agencies, so is very encouraging to witness the fruits of our collective labor (AHRQ […]
This industry funded trial randomized patients with recent stroke (with 6 months) to either cilostazol (100mg bid) or ASA (81mg qday) for a mean of 29 months. The incidence of stroke was significantly lower in the cilostazol group (Hazard ratio 0.74, CI 0.56-0.98), as was the incidence of bleeding (0.77% vs 1.78%). The issue with […]
One of the central tenets of the patient safety movement is that modern medicine is a team sport. Unfortunately, its players – particularly physicians – were trained and socialized to be free-spirited individualists. We need the Celtics of the 80s; what we have is a collection of young John McEnroes. While this theory has been […]
This was an analysis of the effect of a team training program for surgical personnel, initiated within the VA hospital system. Surgical outcomes were compared between the team-training site and the non-team-training sites, as well as historical data. The team training consisted of 2 months prep work, 1 day conference, and quarterly coaching interviews. The […]