Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

29 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT How 1 hospital saved $322K in 4 months with a new sepsis strategy By Anne-Marie Kommers E ast Norriton, Pa.-based Einstein Medical Center Montgomery established a new process for treating patients with sepsis, which saved the hospital over $300,000 in four months, decreased patients' lengths of stay and reduced patients' time spent on broad-spec- trum antibiotics, according to Healio. e findings were presented at the Associ- ation for Professionals in Infection Con- trol Epidemiology's annual conference in Philadelphia June 12-14. e hospital's process involves conducting blood culture tests to identify which bacteria is infecting patients and passing that information on to a nurse and pharmacist, who use an algorithm to communicate treatment recommendations to a physician. Researchers reviewed data on the inter- vention for Jan. 1, 2017, to Aug. 31, 2018, paying special attention to the four-month periods before and aer the process's imple- mentation. Ninety-nine patients were in- cluded in the data prior to and 103 patients aer the intervention. They found the hospital saved $322,508 over four months based on an average decreased length of stay of 1.45 days per patient. Patients were also on antibiot- ics for fewer days and started antibiotic de-escalation more rapidly. e findings suggest one way hospitals might reduce broad-spectrum antibiotic use, which can contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. n Patients may have worse outcomes when surgeons act unprofessionally By Mackenzie Bean P atients of surgeons who act unprofessionally in the operating room are more likely to ex- perience surgical complications, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery. For the study, researchers examined data from two geographically diverse academic medical cen- ters participating in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Data included information on 13,653 adult patients who underwent surgeries performed by 202 surgeons between January 2012 and December 2016. Researchers also reviewed post-operative reports to assess whether colleagues reported unprofes- sional behaviors among surgeons, such as disre- spectful communication or unsafe care, according to NPR. Patients who had a surgeon with at least one report of unprofessional behavior in the past three years were up to 14 percent more likely to experience a complication within 30 days of surgery. These findings suggest that surgeons' unprofes- sional behavior can hinder the surgical team's performance and threaten patient outcomes. n American College of Surgeons' new standards for geriatric patients: 4 things to know By Anne-Marie Kommers T he American College of Surgeons' Coalition for Quality in Geriatric Surgery released a set of updated care stan- dards in July after four years of research and planning, according to The New York Times. Four things to know: 1. ACS released the standards in response to the increased rate of elderly patients undergoing major surgeries. These patients face a higher risk of postsurgical complications, since they are often frail and have more chronic health issues than younger patients. 2. The medical group unveiled its geriatric surgery verifica- tion program at the ACS Quality and Safety Conference in Washington, D.C. The program outlines 30 standards to help hospitals improve surgical outcomes for older patients. 3. Eight hospitals are piloting the program. Hospitals can begin applying for the geriatric surgery verification program in October. ACS said it hopes to receive applications from 100 hospitals in the program's first year. Over 4,500 hospitals perform geriatric surgery nationwide. 4. The program's 30 care standards cover staffing suggestions, recommended surgical protocols and communication strat- egies. Providers must ensure that patients fully understand surgical risks and clearly communicate their wishes to family and caregivers. n

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