AWARENESS 
Government campaign puts spotlight on DVT awareness
The risks associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are well known among perioperative professionals who must be aware of the potential for deadly blood clots developing as a result of surgery. Now a government issued Call to Action has been launched to study the dangers associated with this medical problem and increase DVT awareness among patients and their doctors.

"Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms are often 'silent' conditions — they can occur suddenly and without symptoms," said Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, in a Sept. 15 press release. "But we have made a lot of progress in understanding how these disorders develop and how to prevent, diagnose, and treat them. It's time to put this knowledge into action."

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the lower leg or thigh, which can block blood flow and cause pain, swelling, skin discoloration and pulmonary embolism.

The Call to Action resulted from a Surgeon General’s Workshop on Deep Vein Thrombosis which was convened in May 2006. The campaign involves a multi-faceted approach to increasing awareness, including DVT education booklets for patients and doctors issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Starting Oct. 1, 2008, Medicare will withhold payment from hospitals when patients develop DVT blood clots after knee- or hip-replacement surgery. Read the Surgeon General’s Call to Action.

WORKPLACE SAFETY
OSHA hosts drug-free work week
Promoting a drug-free work environment protects workplace safety and health and encourages workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The agency is promoting the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week Oct. 20-26.

To recognize the week, OSHA encourages workplace leaders to educate employees by distributing posters, fact sheets and Web information on ways to support a drug-free work place and seek resources for those with alcohol and drug problems.

Find more information on the 2008 Drug Free Work Week.

MEDICATION SAFETY
The Joint Commission releases Sentinel Event Alert on anticoagulants
The Joint Commission on Sept. 24 released its latest Sentinel Event Alert, “Preventing errors relating to commonly used anticoagulants.” The alert was published citing reports of accidental deaths and overdosing due to the improper use of anticoagulant drugs, such as unfractionated heparin, warfarin and enoxaparin.

Among contributing factors listed are lack of standardization for naming and packaging of anticoagulants, the challenge of keeping current on medication and dosing regimens, the specific individualized instructions and the challenge of treating neonates and other pediatric patients. Risk reduction strategies outlined in the Sentinel Event Alert include implementing a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation service and implementing and using, when available, computerized order entry and/or bar coding.

See the full Sentinel Event Alert here. Read more about the need for implementing new technology here.

PATIENT SAFETY
AHRQ compiles, distributes research papers on patient safety
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in September compiled and published 115 original research articles aimed at patient safety. Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, the collected works of AHRQ grantees, is available as a four-volume compendium or searchable CD-ROM.

The compilation, a follow up to a 2005 edition, is available through AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse. There is no cost for first copies of the printed volumes, with additional copies costing $5 per volume, $20 for the full printed set. Customers will be given up to 10 free copies of the CD, with additional copies costing $1.25. To order the printed compendium (AHRQ Pub. No. 08-0034) or the CD (AHRQ Pub. No. 08-0034-CD), call 800-358-9295 or email ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.

More information is available online.

HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTION
FGI comment period open on facility design, construction guidelines
The Facility Guideline Institute (FGI) has opened its comment period on the proposed 2010 edition of Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. Industry professionals are invited to download and comment on the proposal through Dec. 15, 2008.

The draft 2010 guidelines can be downloaded at www.fgiguidelines.org. Included among guideline updates in the quadrennial publication are:

• Acoustics in health care facilities (new)
• Facility requirements for safe patient handling and movement (new)
• Surfaces and finishes requirements in health care facilities
• Emergency facilities section in general hospitals
• Obstetric facilities section in general hospitals
• Medical imaging facilities section in general hospitals
• Psychiatric hospitals and psych facilities in general hospitals
• Cancer treatment centers in general hospitals (new)
• Outpatient cancer treatment facilities chapter (new)

The guidelines have also been updated from the 2006 edition for general clarity in content.

“Now that the Revision Committee has developed the draft 2010 edition of the Guidelines, we depend on all interested professionals in the health care industry (from clinicians and health facility administrators to facility managers and design professionals) to review the draft carefully and comment on the changes that have been made,” said Douglas H. Erickson, chairman of the Health Guidelines Revision Committee. “This real-life input is critical to the quality of the 2010 edition of this important document.”

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE
Study reveals link between ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and public health care knowledge
Though millions of viewers tune in to “Grey’s Anatomy” for its dramatic storylines, they often turn off the television with an increased knowledge of medicine, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study.

“For better or worse, viewers do absorb the health information they see on TV, so it’s important for these shows to get it right,” said Victoria Rideout, vice president and director of The Program for the Study of Media and Health at the Kaiser Family Foundation, and author of the Grey’s study. “This study shows the enormous potential for entertainment television to serve as a health educator.”

The two studies found that, with large audiences being exposed to health issues, a fair amount gain new knowledge, with some going so far as to do additional research on a subject.

Click here for additional information on the KFF studies.

TECHNOLOGY
Bar-coding technology could reduce surgical count discrepancies
The use of instrument tracking technology – such as bar coding and radio-frequency identification (RFID) – continues to be investigated as a means to prevent foreign object retention, according to a recent AMNews report.

At a cost of about $9 per surgical case, bar coding is one way to help prevent one of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) “never events,” or what, as of Oct. 1, is a non-reimbursable hospital error. According to the AMNews story, a team from The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., plans to present information on the cost effectiveness of various identification technologies at the American College of Surgeons October meeting.

An August Annals of Surgery study showed 13% of surgeries resulted in count discrepancies of items such as surgical sponges or instruments.

In the June 2008 issue of AORN Management Connections, Rodney Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP-CS, discussed the use of bar coding for medication.

Read more news in AORN Management Connections.