Publication describes an outpatient phlebotomy staffing tool
“Used in conjunction with patient wait-time and satisfaction data, our outpatient phlebotomy staffing tool is an
Sonographic detection of a radiolucent object in dialysis vascular access
“We report a case of vascular access failure caused by the plastic protective tube of a balloon catheter, which had
Article reviews experience with venous access ports
“In the period studied patients with venous access ports had an improved quality of life. However, the authors
Impact of a central venous line care bundle in hospitalised children
“Central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) reduction programmes in hospitalised children have been
Hand hygiene adherence following the introduction of an education intervention
“We suggest that future educational interventions should be implemented as this study implies that there is potential for
Anesthesia personnel’s attitude towards needlestick injury prevention
“This study evaluated the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and practice of preventing NSIs among anesthesia personnel in
Research reviews needle safety awareness among dental nurses
“The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of needlestick injury (NSI) and the awareness and attitudes of
Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health care professionals in Ethiopia
“The aim of the study was to investigate the extent of occupational exposure to BBFs and its associated factors among HCPs
Blood culture contamination in the emergency department
“EDs with high blood culture contamination rates should strongly consider evidence-based strategies to reduce contamination. In addition to improving quality, implementing a sterile collection kit or phlebotomy team strategy is likely to result in net cost savings” Self et al (2014).
Managing an outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy team
“We review the most common challenges to starting and managing an OPAT program and give practical advice
PICC adverse events in patients awaiting heart transplantation
“We retrospectively analyzed PICC adverse events (AE) and associated cost in 129 Status 1B patients from 2005 – 2012. Endpoints were OHT, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or death. Regression analysis was utilized to identify AE risk factors” Haglund et al (2014).
Prevention of MRSA bloodstream infections in European hospitals
“Lower MRSA prevalence showed significant association with presence of incidence surveillance, performance of root cause analysis, mandatory training requirements for hand hygiene, accountability measures for persistent non-compliance, and multi-stakeholder teamwork in antibiotic prescribing” Borg et al (2014).
Impact of an educational intervention on the prevention CLABSI
“In total, 508 cases of CLABSI were observed over 266,471 central line (CL)-days. At baseline, the pooled mean CLABSI rate was 2.29 per 1000 CL-days, and this decreased significantly to 1.64 per 1000 CL-days in the follow-up period” Hansen et al (2014).
Medication errors in a public hospital in Brazil
“This article describes the analysis of the frequency, type and risk factors relating to errors in the preparation and administration of medications in patients admitted to a public hospital in Brasilia Federal District, Brazil” Renata Grou Volpe et al (2014).
Errors caused by interruptions during medication administration
“The study objectives were to (A) assess the effects of interruptions on medication verification and administration errors, and (B) design and test the effectiveness of targeted interventions at reducing these errors” Prakash et al (2014).
A regulatory perspective of pharmaceutical compounding
“This legislation establishes a clear boundary between traditional compounders and compounding manufacturers. It clarifies a national, uniform set of rules for compounding manufacturers while preserving the states’ primary role in traditional pharmacy regulation” Timko and Crooker (2014).
Infusion accuracy and device-related safety of implantable drug infusion pumps
“We evaluated the infusion accuracy and device-related safety of implantable drug infusion pumps in subjects with chronic pain or severe spasticity” Wesemann et al (2014).
Subcutaneous administration of immunoglobulin (IGSC) in a home setting
“Subcutaneous administration of immunoglobulin (IGSC) in a home setting, compared with intravenous administration, can improve patient quality of life” Wasserman (2014).
Gentamicin/citrate lock associated with a substantial CRBSI reduction
“The results of this study show that the use of a prophylactic, gentamicin/citrate lock was associated with a substantial reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infection” Moore et al (2014).
Catheter-related bloodstream infections caused by Trichosporon species
“We report 5 catheter related blood stream infections caused by Trichosporon species over a five-year period at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand” Issarachaikul et al (2014).
Retrieval of embolized tip of implanted port intravenous catheter
“Hereby, we report successful extraction of an embolized 10-cm tip of a vascular access port using a macro snare catheter” Bostan et al (2014).
Review of heparin versus normal saline for patency of arterial lines
“Uncertainty exists amongst clinicians as to best practice surrounding the contents of the arterial catheter flush solution (heparin or saline). The use of heparin is more expensive and is accompanied by significant risks such as haemorrhage, hypersensitivity and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)” Robertson-Malt et al (2014).