Patient Safety in the News through November 9, 2014

NEJM published a study revealing that by merely adopting an I-PASS patient hand-off system (“I” illness severity,  “P” patient summary,  “A” action list,  “S” situation awareness and contingency plans and “S” synthesis) residents decreased miscommunications and medical errors by 23%.  

Pediatrics published a study analyzing outpatient medication errors amount young children. 27% of medication errors were related to parents inadvertently giving children medication twice.

Joseph Goedert reported that the Cleveland Clinic will be expanding its use of the IBM Watson Supercomputer to help oncologists deliver personalized treatment to cancer patients. The computer be used to identify patterns in genome sequences and also to review databases of medical journals.

Hannah Nichols discussed a study published in Arthritis Care & Research, which demonstrated that low birth weight and preterm birth are associated with an increased risk of hip osteoarthritis requiring surgery.

Academic Radiology published a study that demonstrated that when residents were interrupted while interpreting radiographic studies, they committed more errors.

Mary Elizabeth Dallas discussed an article published in the Journal of Athletic Training which demonstrated that (a) 50% of highs school athletes are not likely to report a concussion and (b) 25% of college players are likely to play with a concussion. Additionally, 25% of high school athletes surveyed reported receiving no education about concussions at all.

Beth Walsh  discussed a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association which demonstrated that electronic health records improved the quality of clinical notes recorded by health care providers.

Kate Hagan reported on a blood test developed by Melbourne University that detects Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear. Initial reports are that the blood screening test has the potential to be 91% accurate.

Catharine Paddock PhD discussed a study appearing in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, out of Indiana University School of Medicine which concluded that panel of biomarkers consisting of three microRNAs may make it possible to develop a simple blood test to screen for pancreatic cancer.

Don Rauf discussed a study appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine that indicated that atrial fibrillation might double the risk of a “silent stroke,” a stroke that impacts memory but that is unperceived by a patient and does not leave lasting physical sequelae.

Kathryn Doyle discussed new recommendations from the American College of Physicians appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine that indicate that patients with a history of a kidney stone should consume enough fluids to result in two liters of urine a day.

Robert Preidt discussed two new studies published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention that concluded that obesity increases the risk of certain types of breast cancer in postmenopausal black and Hispanic women.

Stephen Reinberg, reported on a paper published in American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene that indicated that “kissing bugs” are spreading a tropical disease,  Chagas disease, which can cause heart disease in infected patients. Most patients in the US suffering from Chagas disease contracted it elsewhere, but residents of southern states may be at risk.

Robert Preidt discussed an article appearing in JAMA that indicated that early signs of heart disease, even if insufficient to cause obstructive coronary artery disease, can cause a 2 to 4.5 times increase in risk in a heart attack.

Physician’s Briefing discussed an article appearing in the American Journal of Critical Care which indicated that resiliency training in the form of counseling, mindfulness based stress reduction exercises and instructional aerobic exercise could reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and prevent burnout in nurses working in intensive care units.

Stan Samples, discussed a study published in the Journal of Nutrition which concluded that moderate consumption of aspartame is not associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Kathleen Doheny, discussed a study performed by researchers at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, to be presented at the American Society of Nephrology in Philadelphia on November 14, 2014 which demonstrated that maternal obesity raises the risks of kidney and urinary tract birth defects in infants.

Julie Bird discussed the results of a new study from Columbia Business School published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, that revealed that a single extra day in the hospital can actually reduce the risk of death caused by pneumonia by 22 percent. Also cut by the extra hospital admission day were the risk of heart attack and readmission rates.

Dennis Thompson reported that a new vaccine is 30 percent more effective than its predecessors in  preventing hospitalizations for pneumonia in young children, as announced in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Ashley Peskoe reported that Edward Merski, a Matawan, New Jersey psychologist, has been charged with submitting more than $15,0000 in fraudulent claims to an insurance company.