Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Anesthesiology for January 2018. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Intra-Op Decision Support System Improves Process Measures
TUESDAY, Jan. 30, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For adults undergoing surgical procedures under general anesthesia, an intraoperative decision support system with real-time visualization can improve process measures, but not clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the February issue of Anesthesiology.
Regulators Trying to Reduce Physician Burden Linked to EHR
MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is trying to address some of the issues relating to physician electronic health record (EHR) burden, partly with the appointment of Don Rucker, M.D., who is skilled in informatics and board-certified in emergency and internal medicine, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Health Care Spending Up, Mainly Due to Rising Prices
MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Americans under age 65 years who were insured through their employer spent more than ever before on health care in 2016, with faster spending growth in 2016 than in recent years, according to the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI)’s annual Health Care Cost and Utilization Report.
Odds of Post-Op Mortality Increase As Weekend Approaches
FRIDAY, Jan. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Following elective surgery, the odds of mortality rise in a graded manner as the day of the week of surgery approaches the weekend, according to research published in the February issue of Medical Care.
Care for Key Surgical Issues Up With ACA Medicaid Expansion
THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with five common surgical conditions, the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s Medicaid expansion was associated with increased probability of early presentation and of receiving optimal management, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in JAMA Surgery.
Out-of-Pocket Expenditures Down With ACA Implementation
TUESDAY, Jan. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with reduced out-of-pocket spending, although increases were noted in mean premium spending, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Professionals Disagree About Asking Patients About Sexuality
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — National Health Service (NHS) England recently recommended that professionals ask all patients their sexual orientation at every opportunity, although opinions are divided on whether this is appropriate, according to an article published online Jan. 17 in The BMJ.
Onabotulinum Toxin-A Can Safely Improve Sleep Bruxism
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Onabotulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) injections can improve sleep bruxism, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in Neurology.
Color-Coded Drug Storage Trays May Cut Medication Errors
TUESDAY, Jan. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Color-coded compartmentalized “rainbow trays” used for anesthetic drug preparation and storage may improve patient safety, according to a study published online Jan. 3 in Anaesthesia.
AMA Online Tools Address Systems-Level Physician Burnout
THURSDAY, Jan. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Tools and resources have been developed to help address physician burnout at the systems level, which may affect more than half of doctors, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Economic Impact of Physicians Quantified for 2015
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Physicians have a large economic impact across the nation, creating an aggregate of $2.3 trillion of economic activity and supporting employment of nearly 12.6 million Americans, according to a report published by the American Medical Association.
Complete Handover of Anesthesia Care May Up Complications
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Complete handover of intraoperative anesthesia care is associated with an increased risk of adverse postoperative outcomes among adults undergoing major surgery, according to a study published in the Jan. 9 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.
Black Children at Higher Risk of Death Following Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Race-specific models more accurately predict risk of death after surgery for pediatric patients, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Pediatrics.
Physicians Frequently Continue to Work While Ill
FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Many physicians continue working and caring for patients while they are sick, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
For Hospitals, No Benefit for Early Adoption of Financial Incentives
FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Hospitals that volunteered to be under financial incentives for more than a decade as part of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (early adopters) do not have better process scores or lower mortality than hospitals where these incentives were implemented later under the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program (late adopters), according to a study published online Jan. 4 in The BMJ.
Certain Stresses, Burnout Causing Some Women to Leave Medicine
THURSDAY, Jan. 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Though equal numbers of men and women are now entering medical schools, the majority of physicians are still male, and female physicians face several unique stressors, according to a report published online in Medical Economics.
Higher Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Some Physicians
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) appears to be high for at-risk physicians, according to a review published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Surgery.
Pre-Op Accelerometry Can Assess Cardiopulmonary Fitness
TUESDAY, Jan. 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients scheduled for major surgery, preoperative accelerometry can assess cardiopulmonary fitness and act as a supplement to formal cardiopulmonary exercise tests, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in Anaesthesia.
Copyright © 2018 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
