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Patient Safety & Outcomes

Since the Joint Commission rolled out its universal protocol in 2004 to prevent wrong-site surgeries in the operating room, it has estimated that wrong-site surgeries occur 40 times a week in U.S. hospitals and clinics based on state data, according…

A study published in the British Journal of Surgery has suggested noisy operating rooms may put patients at greater risk for surgical site infections. Researchers measured the sound level during 35 elective open abdominal procedures, and the primary outcome parameter…

In 2009, Pennsylvania hospitals reported 652 failed processes within radiology procedures that exposed patients to potential harm, including order and scheduling inaccuracies, patient misidentification and inaccurate procedure verification processes, according to a Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority news release.

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A Canadian study has shown patients fared equally well when their cardiac surgeons were well-rested as when the surgeons were operating on less than three hours of sleep, according to a Reuters report. The study followed patients at London Health…

As hospitals and governmental bodies place a greater emphasis on patient safety, operating room teams are working to build "cultures of safety" that reward compliance and encourage teamwork. But while most providers have good intentions when it comes to patient…

Sharps injuries and needle sticks are a significant hazard in the operating room, and providers who don't comply with prevention practices can endanger themselves, their colleagues and their patients. Mary J. Ogg, MSN, RN, CNOR, sharps expert with the Association…

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