Implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery colorectal programs is feasible in a community hospital setting, and it is associated with decreased length of stay without increased readmission or morbidity, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.

The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa an international health emergency and appealed for global aid, according to a Yahoo News report.

The New York State Department of Health awarded more than $21.5 million in grants to 43 hospitals, medical centers and health systems, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The Illinois Hospital Engagement Network has announced $132.4 million in savings between January 2012 and June 2014 from 100 Illinois hospitals preventing more than 12,700 patient harms.

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a chat on Twitter in which experts will answer questions from clinicians on how to best prepare for caring for potential Ebola patients.

A Pennsylvania Department of Health review says that St. Luke's University Hospital-Bethlehem (Pa.) was not compliant with certain safety regulations after a patient jumped out of the hospital's window in June, according to a WFMZ 69 News report.

Pediatric patients undergoing common urgent surgical procedures over a weekend have different outcomes as compared to those undergoing procedures on a weekday, according to a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

Postoperative patients are strongly in support of surgical safety checklists, according to survey results published in BMJ Quality & Safety.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Orbactiv (oritavancin), a new drug to treat acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections.

Only 24 percent of safety leaders feel they have appropriate data to reduce patient harms, according to a study from Pascal Metrics.