Psychological principles could explain major healthcare failings
A paper in the BMJ's Journal of Medical Ethics breaks new ground by using psychological approaches and insights to review major health crises within the NHS.
View ArticleNew vital sign monitoring system may improve care for hospitalized patients
A recent study indicates that a newly designed vital sign monitoring system can improve patient safety in medical and surgical units without an abundance of unnecessary alarms.
View ArticlePatient deaths do not increase during doctor strikes
As doctors in England prepare for strike action next month, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA) show that, in high-income countries, "patients do not...
View ArticleMaking patients safer in surgery
Surgery is getting safer thanks to research by an Oxford University team that has brought together two previously competing theories about how best to protect patients.
View ArticleAttending physician workload linked to teaching effectiveness
(HealthDay)—Attending physician workload is associated with lower teaching effectiveness, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
View ArticleUK doctors suspend planned two-day strike amid talks
Junior doctors in England have called off a two-day strike as union leaders continue talks with the government over a bitterly-disputed contract.
View ArticleExtending length of surgical trainees' shifts does not affect surgical...
Allowing surgeons in training, otherwise known as residents, the flexibility to work longer shifts than currently allowed in the U.S. and/or take less time off between shifts to provide continuity of...
View ArticleDoctor raises serious questions about medical awards system
The system that awards national and academic honors to doctors is called into question by a senior doctor writing in The BMJ this week.
View ArticleResearch finds no easy answers to use of drug screening for pain patients
Doctors who treat patients suffering from chronic pain face a quandary, according to research from the University of Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch. Monitoring patients through...
View ArticleReadmission rates at children's hospitals influenced by patients'...
A team of researchers from children's hospitals across the country, including a University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty member, found that hospitals serving children may face financial...
View ArticleToo many avoidable errors in patient care, says report
Avoidable harm to patients is still too high in healthcare in the UK and across the globe—making safety a top healthcare priority for providers and policy makers alike.
View ArticleRace and income affect responses to FDA drug safety warnings
Among older adults with diabetes, certain subgroups—including white patients and those with lower incomes—were slower to discontinue the diabetes drug rosiglitazone after a US Food and Drug...
View ArticleNo increased heart failure with incretin-based drugs
Incretin-based drugs, a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used combinations of oral anti-diabetic...
View ArticleSurgery residency program directors believe flexible duty hours improve...
Directors of general surgery residency programs believe that flexible work hour schedules for surgeons in training (residents) improve the continuity of patient care as well as resident training...
View ArticleFDA: Brintellix changing name to avoid confusion with brilinta
(HealthDay)—Following a July 2015 Drug Safety Communication that warned about name confusion between Brintellix and Brilinta resulting in prescribing errors, the antidepressant Brintellix...
View ArticlePublic reporting measures fail to describe the true safety of hospitals
Common measures used by government agencies and public rankings to rate the safety of hospitals do not accurately capture the quality of care provided, new research from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong...
View ArticleAlarming burnout rate in young NL medical specialists
Approximately one in eight medical specialists in the Netherlands suffers from burnout and an increased risk of burnout. This figure is even higher for AIOS (Artsen In Opleiding tot Specialist)...
View ArticleTouch creates a healing bond in health care
In contemporary health care, touch – contact between a doctor's hand and a patient – appears to be on its way out. The expanding role of CT and MRI imaging is decreasing reliance on touch as a way of...
View ArticleHospitals not learning from measuring infections
Suffering from an infection during a hospital stay is a common care-related injury. To prevent spreading and to work preventively, all hospitals measure the occurrence of care-related infections. But...
View ArticleReadmissions after complex cancer operations vary with institution type and...
Readmission rates after complex cancer operations tend to be higher in hospitals that are considered to be vulnerable because they serve as safety nets in their communities or have a high number of...
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