Becker's Hospital Review

62 CMO / CARE DELIVERY 60+ patients allege sterilization failure at Porter Adventist Hospital By Anne-Marie Kommers S ixty-seven patients and 22 spouses filed a lawsuit June 15 against Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, claiming the hospital caused infections and death due to improper equip- ment sterilization, according to e Denver Post. e lawsuit comes roughly a year aer hospital officials found a sterilization breach occurred at the hospital between July 21, 2016, and Feb. 20, 2018. Complaints include one patient who had seven knee surgeries due to necrotic tissue and an infection he developed aer surgery at the hospital in 2017. e bacteria included a particular type usually found in a pregnant woman's vagina or rectum. Another patient died aer developing an infection, sepsis and other complications from surgery on his femur and hip. e patients' attorneys say cases are pending for three other patients and a spouse. Porter Adventist shared the following statement with Becker's: "We acknowledge the concern of these patients and are aware of existing lawsuits stemming from a review by [the Colorado De- partment of Public Health and Environment] of the pre-cleaning process of surgical instruments prior to sterilization, which was identified in February 2018," a spokesperson said. "To protect the privacy [of] all involved, we will be addressing this matter through the legal process, which is underway. As an outcome of the CDPHE investigation, we continue to provide reports to CDPHE that con- firm Porter Adventist Hospital continues to meet the sterilization process guidelines of CDPHE." n Nurse understaffing linked to higher HAI risk By Anuja Vaidya N urse understaffing increases the risk of healthcare-asso- ciated infections in hospital units, a study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration found. Understaffing increases workloads for individual nurses, which can ultimately affect infection prevention practices and surveil- lance activities. "As they often serve as coordinators within multidisciplinary healthcare teams, nurses play a critical role in preventing HAIs, which is a top priority for improving quality of care and reducing hospital costs," said study lead author Jingjing Shang, PhD, an associate professor at New York City-based Columbia University School of Nursing. Researchers from Columbia nursing examined unit-level data from large urban hospital systems between 2007 and 2012. The study included data for more than 100,000 patients. The study shows 15 percent of patient days had one shift where registered nurses were understaffed, and 6.2 percent of patient days had both day and night shifts where RNs were understaffed. Researchers found patients in units with RN understaffing in both day and night shifts were 15 percent more likely to develop HAIs on or after the third day, compared to patients in units that were adequately staffed for both shifts. n Physicians quit Maine hospital as morale hits 'all-time low' By Ayla Ellison A t least eight physicians resigned from Bangor-based Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, and phy- sicians from several departments warned that more physicians could leave if changes aren't made, according to the Bangor Daily News. The hospital's parent company, Brewer, Maine-based North- ern Light Health, made changes to standardize operations and compensation. Physicians, including the eight hospitalists who submitted resignations, are displeased with the some of the changes, which make cuts to their benefits and require them to see more patients each day, according to the report. Several physicians told Northern Light Health board members that physicians' morale is at an "all-time low." The physicians, who claim they have been left out of major decisions, warned that a "mass exodus" could occur if tensions between physi- cians and health system leaders continue, according to the re- port. A spokesperson for Northern Light Health confirmed the eight resignations to the Bangor Daily News and attributed the de- partures to normal turnover. n Physician burnout costs $4.6B annually, study finds By Mackenzie Bean D irect expenses tied to physician burnout cost the U.S. more than $4 billion annually, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. For the study, researchers used mathematical model- ing to analyze the direct costs of physician turnover or reduced clinical hours linked to burnout. Researchers estimated model inputs using recent data from other studies and industry reports. They found the U.S. spends an average of $4.6 bil- lion on costs linked to physician burnout annually. For healthcare organizations, burnout was linked to $7,600 in costs per employed physician every year. "Together with previous evidence that burnout can effectively be reduced with moderate levels of invest- ment, these findings suggest substantial econom- ic value for policy and organizational expenditures for burnout reduction programs for physicians," re- searchers concluded. n

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