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| Wrong-site Craniotomy Brings New Safety Protocols
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MEN IN NURSING is the name of a new journal that claims to be the first to address issues facing men in a female-dominated profession. The first issue was published in February. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, publisher of some of the nation's most popular nursing journals, including American Journal of Nursing and Nursing2006, saw the market need for a resource that spoke directly to the minority in the traditionally female profession. Although the percentage of men in nursing has doubled over the past 25 years, men currently comprise only six percent of nurses. "Though there are great journals in circulation that address a wide range of nursing topics and specialties, we're adding one more to that list. Men in Nursing is the journal that speaks to guys who love being nurses," says Editor-in-Chief Bob Kepshire, RN, MS, CEN, the director of oncology and community services at University Health Care System in Augusta, Ga.
CONGRESS MAY MANDATE A MINIMUM LEVEL OF CHARITY CARE for non-profit hospitals if they don't police themselves, according to a recent article in The New York Times. Key congressional leaders, including Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) are looking at the amount of charity care non-profit hospitals provide, and at billing and collection practices when these hospitals treat the uninsured. Often the uninsured are charged significantly more than what insurance companies have negotiated and hospitals sometimes pursue those patient bills aggressively, the story says.
FOUR-FIFTHS OF NURSES ARE "VERY CONCERNED" about exposure to bloodborne pathogens due to surgical glove punctures, according to a survey by Regent Medical at last week's AORN Congress in Washington, D.C. Another 15 percent indicated they were "somewhat concerned." Almost all of the 612 operating room nurses questioned at the conference said that at least some single-glove perforations go unrecognized. Of the nurses surveyed, 71 percent said they used only their "naked eye" to detect glove breaches in the presence of fluid.
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| Pa. Report Shows Impact of Healthcare-acquired Infections
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Pennsylvania's hospitals reported 13,711 incidents of healthcare-acquired infections in the first nine months of 2005, 17.5 percent more than the 11,668 recorded for all of 2004, according to a recent report.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, which released the report last week, postulates that the apparent increase is due to improved public reporting and shows the actual impact of hospital-acquired infections state and nationwide.
The report, which examined incidents, related costs and reporting data through the first three quarters of 2005, also noted that healthcare-acquired infections resulted in 1,456 more patient deaths, 227,000 extra hospital days and $2.3 billion in additional hospital charges than in 2004.
Using 2004 data — 2005 data was not yet available — the report estimates the cost of treating a patient with a healthcare-acquired infection at $52,600 more than treating a patient without one. This average totals to $613.7 million in additional payments from commercial insurers, Medicare and Medicaid in 2004.
Pennsylvania is one of six states currently requiring hospitals to publicly disclose their infection rates. Florida is the only other state to have issued a report.
The PHC4 report was released on March 29, the same day as a U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee hearing on public reporting of hospital infections.
State lawmakers across the country are also considering legislation to require infection reporting.
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| Two Studies Examine Bariatric Patient Population
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While bariatric surgery procedures present higher risks of complications for patients over 60, they also appear to permanently reduce high blood pressure among all ages, according to two studies published in the March issue of Archives of Surgery.
For the first study, researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland sought clinical variables that might predict the occurrence of post-op complications among bariatric patients. An analysis of 452 cases performed between 2000 and 2003 revealed that each year a patient had aged beyond 60 increased the likelihood that they'd experience complications. Researchers also found that patients of any age undergoing the duodenal switch procedure were twice as likely to experience complications as those undergoing gastric bypass procedures. However, factors such as the patient's body mass index, gender and diabetic health or the surgeon's experience and choice of open incision versus laparoscopic approach did not accurately signal complications.
In the second study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine examining the post-op histories of 347 patients who'd undergone weight-loss surgery between 1992 and 2001 found that the incidence of hypertension declined significantly in the 18 months following the procedure and remained low. What's more, patients whose elevated blood pressure was untreated before surgery showed bigger changes in pressure than those who were normotensive or who were taking medication for high blood pressure.
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| News and Notes
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While bariatric surgery procedures present higher risks of complications for patients over 60, they also appear to permanently reduce high blood pressure among all ages, according to two studies published in the March issue of Archives of Surgery.
For the first study, researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland sought clinical variables that might predict the occurrence of post-op complications among bariatric patients. An analysis of 452 cases performed between 2000 and 2003 revealed that each year a patient had aged beyond 60 increased the likelihood that they'd experience complications. Researchers also found that patients of any age undergoing the duodenal switch procedure were twice as likely to experience complications as those undergoing gastric bypass procedures. However, factors such as the patient's body mass index, gender and diabetic health or the surgeon's experience and choice of open incision versus laparoscopic approach did not accurately signal complications.
In the second study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine examining the post-op histories of 347 patients who'd undergone weight-loss surgery between 1992 and 2001 found that the incidence of hypertension declined significantly in the 18 months following the procedure and remained low. What's more, patients whose elevated blood pressure was untreated before surgery showed bigger changes in pressure than those who were normotensive or who were taking medication for high blood pressure.
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