In the traditional surgery suite design, operating rooms are grouped around a “sterile core” — from which case carts and sterile supplies are retrieved by the circulating nurse and taken into the operating rooms in preparation for surgery. A “substerile” room was typically placed between two operating rooms to provide “flash” or emergent sterilization of unwrapped items to be used immediately in the operating room. The sterile core often housed a sterilizer as well. Because the items were sterilized in open baskets that could be contaminated by improper handling and exposure during transport, the substerile rooms were placed as close as possible to the operating rooms and the sterile core was considered a restricted area.
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3D Mammography is a New Screening and Diagnostic Tool
Tomosynthesis (also know as 3D mammography) is a revolutionary screening and diagnostic tool designed for early detection of breast cancer that can be done in conjunction with a traditional 2D digital mammogram. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2011, it is becoming more common in the U.S. During the 3D portion of the exam, the X-ray arm — which uses a comparable radiation dose to a traditional mammogram — sweeps in a slight arc over the breast, taking multiple images in a matter of seconds. A computer then produces a 3D image of the breast tissue in one millimeter slices, providing greater visibility for the radiologist to see tissue details — potentially providing greater accuracy, earlier breast cancer detection, and a decrease in biopsies and recall rates.
Hologic makes the only equipment approved by the FDA. General Electric and Siemens market tomosynthesis equipment overseas and expect to introduce it in the U.S. It is estimated that more than six million American women will undergo tomosynthesis this year.
New Intraoperative Imaging Solutions for Neurosurgery
Removing as much of a brain tumor as possible during neurosurgery can make a critical difference in preventing recurrence. Philips has introduced a new MR-OR intraoperative neurosurgery solution based on its Ingenia MR system that allows a neurosurgeon to quickly perform a magnetic resonance imaging (MR or MRI) scan to check the results of a resection during the surgery and remove additional tumor mass if necessary — without first closing the patient’s skull. This reduces the number of repeat surgical procedures, shortens hospital stays, and improves neurosurgery success rates.
Healthcare Organizations Using RFID in the Emergency Department
Most busy emergency departments (EDs) share the same goals of improving patient flow, shortening the length of stay until the patient is admitted or discharged, and reducing the number of patients who leave the ED without being treated. Healthcare organizations, including Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Delaware, are tackling all these problems using data from radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled real-time locating systems or RTLS. When patients arrive at one of Christiana Care’s two EDs, they are pinned with an RFID badge that tracks their movement. With real-time tracking, interval data can be measured — such as the time between a patient’s arrival to the time the doctor orders an x-ray, or to the time that the results are available or when the patient is discharged. Each of these separate data elements is fed into a central database that is integrated with data from other systems in the hospital including the computerized physician order entry (CPOE), laboratory, and radiology systems. The tracking data is then used to redesign operational processes to eliminate bottlenecks and improve patient flow.
Use of Interactive Technology Boosts Patient Satisfaction
Hospitals within six healthcare systems saw dramatic increases in their patient satisfaction scores when using interactive monitors that allow patients to access information about their care and to communicate with staff. The hospitals provided patients with in-room monitors that allowed them to ask clinicians questions about their care, inquire about food menus, request help with minor tasks, read about their medical condition, and access their post-discharge instructions. Satisfaction with educational materials increased by 42 percent and overall patient satisfaction scores increased by at least 10 percent. The healthcare systems included El Paso Children’s Hospital (El Paso TX), Palisades Medical Centre (North Bergen NJ), and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center (Cleveland OH).
Source: Fierce Healthcare (www.fiercehealthcare.com).
Psychiatrists Replace Talk Therapy With Drugs
Talk therapy has dominated the psychiatric profession since the days of Sigmund Freud. Because of changes in how much insurers will pay, most of the nations 48,000 psychiatrists are forced to prescribe medications instead, usually after only a brief consultation with the patient.
Historically, psychiatrists often saw patients ten or more times before arriving at a diagnosis. But things have changed ― now they must make a decision in the first 45-minute visit. Without a diagnosis, they cannot get paid. Their patients are referred to a less costly therapist to explore their personal crises. Psychologists and social workers ― who unlike psychiatrists do not attend medical school ― can often afford to charge less which has driven down the price of talk therapy. There is no evidence that psychiatrists provide higher quality talk therapy than psychologists or social workers.