Becker's ASC Review

Jan/Feb 2017 Issue of Becker's ASC Review

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58 QUALITY & ACCREDITATION Patient-Centered Checklist May Reap Higher Patient Satisfaction, Better Surgical Care for ASCs: 5 Thoughts By Mary Rechtoris B oston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School researchers found patient- centered perioperative checklists may help surgeons in outpatient settings bolster pa- tient outcomes, surgical quality and patient satisfaction scores, according to General Surgery News. e research team created a checklist that featured key questions patients should ask medical providers prior to an outpatient procedure. Aer creating the checklist, the researchers conducted a study of 35 patients and 52 providers. Here are five thoughts: 1. Most patients (94 percent) found the check- list to be helpful in the perioperative setting. 2. Similarly, 83 percent of providers found the checklist useful in the perioperative setting. 3. Patients reported thinking a checklist would improve their medical knowledge while also alleviating concerns and helping them better prepare for a postoperative re- covery. 4. Following the study, the team is validating the checklist to assess how it impacts mor- bidity, particularly data concerning unantici- pated hospital stay, poor postoperative pain control, uncontrolled nausea, discordant an- esthetic expectations and postoperative med- ication errors. en the team will conduct a beta test in academic outpatient centers and ASCs for efficacy. 5. Joseph Foley, MD, a resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said anesthesi- ologists may struggle to provide high quality care with the influx of healthcare changes and rise in number of ASC procedures. He said, "e production pressure is high in an ambu- latory setting, and this checklist provides a set of checks and balances." n 5 Key Notes on Workplace Violence in Healthcare By Laura Dyrda H ere are five things to know about violence against nurses, according to an article in the Atlantic. 1. One in four nurses reports having been physically attacked while they were at work in the past year, which could include scratches, kicks and grabs from patients. 2. ere has been a 110 percent increase in workplace violence between 2005 and 2014 in the healthcare in- dustry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 3. Only around 29 percent of nurses who reported physical abuse said they reported the incident to their supervisors; 18 percent said they feared retaliation due to reporting a violent incident and 20 percent said they thought violence was a "normal" aspect of their profes- sion. 4. Among 700 registered nurses in a Virginia private hospital system, 76 percent reported physical or ver- bal abuse from patients or visitors during a 12-month period; another 30 percent reported physical assault. 5. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administration, the incidence of workplace violence in healthcare settings accounted for around as many serious violent injuries as all other industries combined. n Survey: Half of Americans Plan to Get Flu Shots This Year By Anuja Vaidya O nly around 50 percent of Americans have received or planned on getting the flu shot this year, with the other 50 percent saying that they have not or likely will not get the vaccine, according to survey data collected by the National Opin- ion Research Center and analyzed by Athens-based University of Georgia researchers. Here are five survey findings: 1. As of October 2016, less than 10 percent of 30- to 59-year-olds and only 5 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds had received a flu shot. 2. Around 13 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds; 18 percent of 30- to 44-year-olds; and 30 percent of 45- to 49-year-olds said they were planning to get the vaccine. 3. Two out of three people over the age of 60 years were planning to or had already received the shot in October 2016. 4. Only around half of those surveyed indicated they trusted the flu vaccine. In comparison, around 75 percent trusted the tetanus shot to be effective and safe. 5. People who received a flu vaccination in previous years were most likely to get a flu vaccination this year. "One of the challenges with the flu vaccine is we've sort of plateaued in terms of the number of people who get the seasonal flu vaccine," Glen Nowak, PhD, a professor in the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of Grady's Center for Health and Risk Communication, said in a state- ment. "That's unfortunate because more people can clearly benefit from getting it. It's not a perfect vaccine, but it's the best protection you can have from influenza." n

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