Patient Safety & Outcomes

Selecting the Right Product: 5 Steps That Link Quality, Cost and Patient Safety

Many hospitals are getting serious about permanently eliminating costs from their organizations. Product selection can be one of the keys to achieving significant dollar savings, improving quality and assuring patient safety. An easy-to-implement five-step process can help your organization determine…

Number of Worldwide Deaths Due to Anesthesia on the Rise

The worldwide death rate from anesthesia may be rising because older patients are more frequently undergoing surgery, according to an article punished in the German Medical Association’s international science journal and reported in U.S. Politics Today. Read the full report…

UNC Hospitals Implements Radiofrequency Technology to Prevent Retained Surgical Items

UNC Hospitals, part of Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health Care, is implementing a system that detects surgical items via radiofrequency technology to prevent retained surgical items, according to a news release.

Answering a Plea for Standardization: How Providence St. Vincent Cut Surgical Order Sets by More Than 95%

Practicing evidence-based medicine is one of the key factors in achieving patient safety and delivering quality care. Rick Waller, MD, medical director of surgery at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore., decided to promote evidence-based medicine in the…

Study: Clinicians Need to Change Preoperative Fasting Policy to Improve Safety, Quality

Healthcare professionals should change their policy of preoperative fasts for patients in order to improve patient safety and healthcare quality, according to a study in the American Journal of Nursing.

Study: Preoperative Safety Briefings Produced On-Time Starts, Positive Staff Attitudes

Preoperative safety briefings do not delay operating theater start time and are popular among staff, according to a study published in Journal of Patient Safety.

Connecticut's St. Francis Hospital Improves Safety Through Checklist Training

St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., trains its operating room staff to use a checklist to avoid procedural errors, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Study: OR Availability Delay Greater Than Two Hours Increased Hospital Costs 39%

A short delay in operating room availability for urgent cases is associated with significant increases in hospital costs, according to a study published in Surgery.

Study: OR Tissue Recovery Protocols Essential for Patient Safety

Hospital operating room leaders should create protocols for tissue recovery that have clearly defined expectations in order to ensure patient safety and a clean surgical environment, according to a study published in the AORN Journal.

Study: OR Crisis Checklist Improves Safety, Management

An article published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that operating room crisis checklists can improve safety and management in those situations, according to an AORN report.