The International journal of risk & safety in medicine
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The impact of the extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement, which was published in 2004 and aimed to improve the quality of the safety information presented in clinical trials, remains uncertain. ⋯ The adverse event information was insufficient for the RCTs published in four high-impact medical journals five years after the publication of the extension of the CONSORT statement.
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Wrong site confusions are among the most common mistakes in operations of twosome organs. ⋯ This study illustrates the high error that can result in the absence of side marking prior to cataract surgery, as well as in operations on other twosome organs.
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Acute pain service (APS) ensures provision of effective and safe postoperative pain relief. The following cases describe a potentially fatal error in managing patients who receive epidural analgesia postoperatively. ⋯ A defined APS protocol should ensure patients' safety. If the protocol is strictly adhered to and with regular audits, preventable errors can be avoided. The acute pain service provider must be alert and responsive to warning signs of any protocol errors.
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In 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. The Act seeks to improve the access of Americans to improved quality health care, while controlling the nation's escalating health care expenditures. The Act is scheduled for further implementation in 2014. ⋯ The article qualified these findings by emphasizing that doctors must learn to advocate on behalf of their profession if the potential benefits of the ACA are to be realized.
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Identify factors that predict fall-related injury in hospitalized adults. ⋯ In this single-institution study, 25% of patients who fell suffered injury and 4% serious injury. Neither age nor gender predicted fall-related injury. Recent narcotic administration was the strongest predictor of injury. Strategies to prevent fall-related injury in the hospital should target patients receiving narcotics. When evaluating inpatients who have fallen, providers should be especially vigilant about injury in patients who have pre-fall confusion, hit their head, or have received recent narcotics.