March / April Clinical Leadership & Infection Control Issue
ON THE COVER
How to create the ‘aha moment’ most nurses are missing: 5 questions with ANA’s VP of innovation
When Bonnie Clipper, DNP, RN, asks a room full of nurses if they consider themselves to be innovators, the response is usually the same: only a few people raise their hands. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Meaningful patient encounters are the building blocks of high-quality healthcare and positive patient experiences. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Boston Children’s researchers tap machine learning for better flu surveillance
Researchers created a surveillance model that uses machine learning to provide highly accurate estimates of local flu activity, according to a study published in Nature Communications. CLICK TO CONTINUE
How CRISPR can help with antibiotic development
Researchers developed a way to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to better understand pathogenic bacteria and their weaknesses, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology. CLICK TO CONTINUE
3 most, least rewarding parts of working as an RN
Most registered nurses enjoy that their work helps make a difference in people’s lives, but many also feel frustrated with workplace politics and administrative duties, according to Medscape’s Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2018. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Physician viewpoint: We must stop blaming patients for unhealthy lifestyle choices
Physicians must abandon the mindset that patients who practice unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, are to blame for their illnesses or cancer, Monica Bhargava, MD, an Oakland, Calif.-based pulmonary and critical care physician, wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. CLICK TO CONTINUE
INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY
Computer model can help control MRSA outbreaks in hospitals
A computer-based model could help hospitals control outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and identify MRSA patients who don’t show symptoms, according to a study published in eLife. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Drug-resistant bacteria may thrive in certain hospital sink drains, study finds
Hospital sinks stationed near toilets in patient rooms may act as reservoirs for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing bacteria, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Boston Children’s researchers tap machine learning for better flu surveillance
Researchers created a surveillance model that uses machine learning to provide highly accurate estimates of local flu activity, according to a study published in Nature Communications. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Patient dies hours after being turned away from Wisconsin hospital
A patient at a Franklin, Wis., hospital died of heart disease hours after being sent home to wait for a bed to be freed up for him, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Johns Hopkins hospitals don’t always follow ‘basic safety rules,’ report claims
Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine has faced numerous allegations of “making preventable errors or setting aside basic safety rules” in recent years, which arguably contradicts its reputation as a national leader in patient safety, according to an investigative report from the Tampa Bay Times. CLICK TO CONTINUE
How Sentara hospitals use copper to drop infection rates
Copper-infused patient gowns, pillowcases, bed sheets, blankets and towels helped decrease infection rates at six hospitals owned by Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare, a study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection found. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Bill Gates: We aren’t ready for deadly flu pandemic
In his annual “What I learned at work this year” letter, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said he believes the next deadly epidemic will be the flu — and humanity may not be equipped to handle it. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Woman tests positive for hep B after sterilization breach at New Jersey clinic
A New Jersey woman tested positive for hepatitis B in January after undergoing surgery at a healthcare facility where infection control lapses potentially exposed more than 3,700 patients to HIV and hepatitis, reported Reuters. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Johns Hopkins hires former prosecutor to probe safety issues at All Children’s
The Johns Hopkins Medicine Board of Trustees appointed a former federal prosecutor to lead its investigation into patient safety issues at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital’s Heart Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., according to the Tampa Bay Times. CLICK TO CONTINUE
PATIENT EXPERIENCE
UChicago Medicine cuts inpatient sleep disruptions with EHR tool
University of Chicago Medicine successfully reduced nighttime disruptions for patients by integrating a sleep-friendly tool into its EHR. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Half of young patients don’t get private time with physicians, study finds
Only about half of adolescents and young adults in the U.S. get private time with their physicians, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Physician viewpoint: We must stop blaming patients for unhealthy lifestyle choices
Physicians must abandon the mindset that patients who practice unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, are to blame for their illnesses or cancer, Monica Bhargava, MD, an Oakland, Calif.-based pulmonary and critical care physician, wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Meaningful patient encounters are the building blocks of high-quality healthcare and positive patient experiences. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Accessible care more important to patients than care quality, survey says
Over half of patients (51.3 percent) say convenient, easily accessible care is the most important factor in their healthcare decision-making — ranking more important than care quality (34.6 percent), according to NRC Health’s 2019 Healthcare Consumer Report. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Viewpoint: Why removing access to healthcare is a moral issue
After a federal judge in Texas ruled the ACA is unconstitutional in December, Texas physician Hussain Lalani, MD, wrote that taking away patients’ access to healthcare is morally flawed in an op-ed for The Dallas Morning News. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Why some hospitals are offering essential oils to surgery patients
More hospitals are using essential oils to help surgical patients with pain management, relaxation and nausea, according to an article from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. CLICK TO CONTINUE
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP
How detecting false penicillin allergies helps physicians fight antibiotic resistance
More than 32 million U.S. patients have a documented penicillin allergy, but studies have found more than 95 percent can be treated safely with this class of antibiotics. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Researchers uncover key step to how antibiotic resistance spreads in hospitals
Researchers at St. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine found a key step in the transmission of antibiotic resistance from one Acinetobacter bacterium to another, which helps reveal how drug resistance spreads through hospitals. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Late-career physicians more likely to prescribe long antibiotic courses
Physicians late in their career are more likely to prescribe antibiotics for longer durations, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Viewpoint: 4 moments to change how antibiotics are prescribed
Four moments in the antibiotic decision-making process can make all the difference in curbing antibiotic resistance, three physicians wrote in a JAMA commentary. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Wyoming hospital patient diagnosed with rare, drug-resistant infection
The Wyoming Department of Health on Jan. 9 confirmed a patient at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center was diagnosed with a rare, drug-resistant infection. CLICK TO CONTINUE
84% of patients receive antibiotics for infection-like symptoms, survey finds
Most patients who seek treatment for infection-like symptoms receive a prescription for antibiotics, according to the January 2019 IBM Watson Health-NPR Health Poll. CLICK TO CONTINUE
How CRISPR can help with antibiotic development
Researchers developed a way to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to better understand pathogenic bacteria and their weaknesses, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology. CLICK TO CONTINUE
1 in 4 antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, study finds
Healthcare providers inappropriately prescribe antibiotics 25 percent of the time, according to a study published in The BMJ. CLICK TO CONTINUE
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
Why this tool to predict readmission risk may have a blind spot
The “LACE index,” a tool physicians and nurses often use to determine hospital patients’ readmission risk, may have a blind spot, according to research from Morgantown-based West Virginia University. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Hospital readmission improvements under Medicare program may be overstated
Success from the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which penalizes hospitals with high 30-day readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries, may be overstated, according to a study published in Health Affairs. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Hospital insurance claims probably not best way to track SSIs, study suggests
Hospital claims data may not be adequate to track surgical site infections, a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found. CLICK TO CONTINUE
How machine learning can reduce tests, improve treatments for ICU patients
Researchers from Princeton (N.J.) University are using machine learning to design a system that could reduce the frequency of tests and improve the timing of critical treatments for intensive care unit patients. CLICK TO CONTINUE
5 stats on the dangers of surgical smoke
Smoke from surgical tools can pose serious health risks for clinicians in the operating room. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Early intervention with infectious disease specialist linked to lower death rates
Patients who received early intervention with an infectious disease physician experienced lower mortality rates and shorter lengths of stay, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Hospital-acquired conditions dropped nearly 1 million from 2014 -17
Hospital-acquired conditions fell by an estimated 910,000 from 2014-17, according to data released by CMS and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Deaths linked to medical treatment have fallen in last 25 years
Mortality associated with the adverse effects of medical treatment has decreased modestly in the last 25 years, researchers report in JAMA Network Open. CLICK TO CONTINUE
How this New York hospital cut postoperative blood clots in half
New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi achieved a 53 percent reduction in deep vein blood clot cases in one year by implementing new postsurgical care protocols. CLICK TO CONTINUE
US News ‘Best Hospitals’ rankings to incorporate HCAHPS data
U.S. News & World Report will begin incorporating patient experience data, like a hospital’s HCAHPS scores, into its “Best Hospitals” specialty rankings. CLICK TO CONTINUE
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
How to create the ‘aha moment’ most nurses are missing: 5 questions with ANA’s VP of innovation
When Bonnie Clipper, DNP, RN, asks a room full of nurses if they consider themselves to be innovators, the response is usually the same: only a few people raise their hands. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Massachusetts nurse stabbed by former patient urges hospital safety changes
A nurse stabbed 11 times by a former patient at a Southbridge, Mass., hospital has traveled across the U.S. to speak before hospital CEOs and CNOs, demanding action on improving hospital safety, ABC-affiliate TV station WCVB reported. CLICK TO CONTINUE
50 states ranked by amount of active nurses
California contains the most professionally active registered nurses in the U.S., with 337,738 RNs, according to a ranking from the Kaiser Family Foundation. CLICK TO CONTINUE
3 most, least rewarding parts of working as an RN
Most registered nurses enjoy that their work helps make a difference in people’s lives, but many also feel frustrated with workplace politics and administrative duties, according to Medscape’s Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2018. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Hospitals with better nurse work environments have safer pediatric care
Hospitals that have better work environments for nurses provide safer care for the youngest — and often most vulnerable — patients, a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety found. CLICK TO CONTINUE
Viewpoint: Why this nursing ‘rite of passage’ is bullying in disguise
Giving new graduate nurses the busiest patient assignments as a “rite of passage” is really just another form of nurse bullying, travel nurse Mariam Yazdi, BSN, RN, wrote in an op-ed for Nurse.org. CLICK TO CONTINUE
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