Treatments After Hospital Discharge Prevent MRSA Infections

AHRQ Stats: Deaths After Colorectal Surgery

The rate of adults who died within 30 days after colorectal surgery decreased from 4.3 percent in 2008 to 2.9 percent in 2017.  (Source: AHRQ, 2017 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report Chartbook on Patient Safety.) 

Today's Headlines

• Treatments After Hospital Discharge Prevent MRSA Infections.
• AHRQ Report: Maternity Hospital Readmissions on the Decline.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Involvement in a Medical Mistake Is Associated With Burnout Among Physician Mothers.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature. 

Treatments After Hospital Discharge Prevent MRSA Infections

A new AHRQ-funded study shows that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and hospitalizations after hospital discharge dropped by 30 percent in patients known to carry the bacteria on their bodies by a treatment that cleansed the bacteria from their skin or in their noses. The study in the New England Journal of Medicine included more than 2,000 patients with MRSA discharged from Southern California hospitals between 2011 and 2014. One group in the study received educational materials while a second group received the same educational materials plus took steps over six months to remove MRSA from their skin and noses with chlorhexidine antiseptic for bathing, chlorhexidine mouthwash and the nasal antibiotic ointment mupirocin. Participants who followed the treatment completely had a 44 percent reduction in MRSA infections and a 40 percent reduction in all infections. Access the article abstract and the AHRQ news release.

AHRQ Report: Maternity Hospital Readmissions on the Decline

Hospitals are doing a better job at reducing hospital readmissions for maternity patients, according to a new AHRQ analysis. From 2010 to 2016, the maternity readmission rate fell 21 percent for uninsured patients, 18 percent for those with private insurance and 14 percent for Medicaid patients. Maternity patients had the lowest readmission rate (4 percent) among 18 principal diagnosis types studied. The highest readmission rate (25 percent) was due to blood diseases. Data for the analysis were drawn from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the largest source of hospital care data in the United States. Access the analysis and AHRQ’s Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) Toolkit, developed to help hospitals reduce readmissions.

Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network

AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• Prevention of prescription opioid misuse and projected overdose deaths in the United States.
• Avoiding chemotherapy prescribing errors: analysis and innovative strategies.
• A decade of health information technology usability challenges and the path forward.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).

Involvement in a Medical Mistake Is Associated With Burnout Among Physician Mothers

Female physicians with children may be more likely to experience job burnout after reporting involvement in a medical mistake, adverse event or near miss, according to an AHRQ-funded study in BMJ Quality & Safety. Among 5,700 female physicians from diverse specialties and practice settings who completed an online, anonymous survey, 49 percent reported involvement in a medical mistake during their career. More than eight in 10 reported feelings of guilt after a medical error, and 2.2 percent reported reducing their clinical workload, taking leave from work or leaving the health care field. The study focuses on the “second victim” experience of physician women—specifically physician mothers. Authors concluded that feelings of anxiety and guilt may be particularly important to consider when trying to mitigate burnout among female physicians and those with family responsibilities. Access the abstract.  

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Evaluation of a novel mentor program to improve surgical care for US hospitals. Berian JR, Thomas JM, Minami CA, et al. Int J Qual Health Care 2017 Apr 1;29(2):234-42. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The impact of obesity on medical care costs and labor market outcomes in the US. Biener A, Cawley J, Meyerhoefer C. Clin Chem 2018 Jan;64(1):108-17. Epub 2017 Nov 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Transtibial Amputation Outcomes Study (TAOS): comparing transtibial amputation with and without a tibiofibular synostosis (Ertl) procedure. Bosse MJ, Morshed S, Reider L, et al. J Orthop Trauma 2017 Apr;31 Suppl 1:S63-S69. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The impact of cancer and its treatment on the growth and development of the pediatric patient. Brand S, Wolfe J, Samsel C. Curr Pediatr Rev 2017;13(1):24-33. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Promising practices for improving hospital patient safety culture. Campione J, Famolaro T. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2018 Jan;44(1):23-32. Epub 2017 Dec 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Efficacy of bleach baths in reducing severity of atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chopra R, Vakharia PP, Sacotte R, et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2017 Nov;119(5):435-40. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The social determinants of chronic disease. Cockerham WC, Hamby BW, Oates GR. Am J Prev Med 2017 Jan;52(1S1):S5-S12. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Cross-cultural survey development: the Colon Cancer Screening Behaviors Survey for South Asian populations. Crawford J, Beaton D, Ahmad F, et al. BMC Res Notes 2017 Dec 28;10(1):770. Access the abstract on PubMed®.