FALLS CHURCH – Leading healthcare headlines gathered by the library research staff at Noblis Health Innovation for Tuesday, Oct. 5. Click on the underlined item for the actual link to the story:

• Hospitals find new ways to cut down on infections: Maryland’s hospitals have already endeavored to get more doctors to wash their hands, and now they are moving onto another means of passing infection. The hospitals are joining a nationwide initiative to eliminate bloodstream infections.
• Side effects may include lawsuits: Antipsychotic drugs are the top-selling pharmaceuticals in America. But with the surge in use has come an increase in questions – and lawsuits – about aggressive marketing and the scientific soundness of drug companies’ studies.
• Indiana U., health IT get centered: Indian University’s Bloomington campus is creating a new center to investigate “vexing ethical, legal and social issues” that are emerging alongside information technology that is transforming health care.

Follow our RSS feed or catch the latest news on health safety and recall from RASMAS’ Bill Klein on Twitter at twitter.com/RASMASrecall.

FALLS CHURCH – The book Glitch: The Hidden Impact of Faulty Software by Dr. Jeffrey Papows details the perils of software bugs, a common reason for both consumer and medical recalls.

The book is a sweeping critique of these computer errors, including how these “glitches” relate to cyberterrorism and computer networks. One particular danger area from software error is in medicine and in particular, radiology. The book cites the radiology-related recall statistics of Bill Klein, Principal at Noblis. RASMAS statistics show that over 48 percent of radiology recalls were a result of software problems. Some physicians estimate that one out of 20 patients receives lethal doses of radiation.

Papows raises a number of questions about the errors including:

“Is it realistic to expect radiation physicists to become experts in computer programming, and vice versa? Just how much training goes into ensuring that hospital staff have mastered the use of the technology? How can software developers create more error-free programs?”

The book is the second business tech book authored by Papows; his first was Enterprise.com: Information Leadership in the Digital Age. Papows is best known for his work as president and CEO of Lotus Development Corporation where he is credited for his work with Lotus Notes.

To find out more about the book, see www.glitchthebook.com; you can follow Papows’ Twitter feed at twitter.com/glitchthebook

FALLS CHURCH – Top medical news headlines from Noblis Health Innovation for Thursday, August 18. Click on the underlined item for the actual link to the story:

• Thousands strain Fort Hood’s mental health system: Nine months after an Army psychiatrist was charged with fatally shooting 13 soldiers and wounding 30, the nation’s largest Army post can measure the toll of war in the more than 10,000 mental health evaluations, referrals or therapy sessions held every month.
• Do retail health clinics complement or compete with primary care providers? Although retail health clinics are cheap, convenient, and associated with high levels of patient satisfaction, there’s still some confusion about their role in the healthcare system.
• U.S. inaction lets look-alike tubes kill patients: Efforts to stop deadly mix-ups of interchangeable medical tubes face industry resistance and obstacles at the F.D.A.
• Panel decides not to post hospital mortality rates in Mass. Rejecting a request from consumer advocates, a state panel decided this week not to publicly post overall patient death rates for individual Massachusetts hospitals, at least for now.

Follow our RSS feed or catch the latest news on health safety and recall from RASMAS’ Bill Klein on Twitter at http://twitter.com/healthrecall.

FALLS CHURCH – Top headlines in patient safety compiled by staff at Noblis Health Innovation:

• A new study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that after bar-code technology was added to electronic medication records, errors in transcribing medication orders were eliminated and errors in administering drugs with potentially serious consequences were cut in half. This according to Elizabeth Cooney in The Boston Globe‘s White Coat Notes website.
• A recent report by the Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation finds that U.S. “medical schools are not doing an adequate job of facilitating student understanding of basic knowledge and the development of skills required for the provision of safe patient care.” The complete report is available online and is called titled “Unmet Needs: Teaching Physicians to Provide Safe Patient Care” and is based on a round-table of leading experts in medical education, patient safety, healthcare, and healthcare improvement convened by the Institute.
• The Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice recently received a $100,000 to take a hard look at errors associated with computerized physician order entry systems, reports Anthony Guerra of Information Week.

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FALLS CHURCH – Today’s top headlines in healthcare and patient safety for Wednesday, May 5, compiled by the library research department of Noblis Health Innovation:

• Unplugged VA computer affects treatment of cancer patients: It took officials at a Veterans Affairs Department hospital in Philadelphia more than a year to learn that a computer used to assess patient’s response to treatments for prostate cancer had been unplugged, delaying assessments, according to an inspector general report released on Monday.
• IT included in Sebelius’ top priorities for HHS: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has included several health information technology elements as part of her department’s nine top strategic priorities in a new report.
• FDA: Plant that made Tylenol and other pediatric medicine lacked quality control: Federal officials said Tuesday that the sole plant that manufactures children’s and infants’ Tylenol, Motrin and other popular over-the-counter pediatric medicines lacked quality controls, used raw materials contaminated with bacteria and failed to investigate consumer complaints that some medicines contained black particles.
• E-health records grants to create 1,000 jobs, White House says: Health information technology grants awarded to 15 communities for expanding the use of electronic health records also will create about 1,000 jobs, White House officials announced on Tuesday.
• Pentagon scientists inject necks to ‘cure’ PTSD: The Pentagon pours billions into treating troops’ post-war stress. But a small new study out of Walter Reed might offer more than temporary relief — with nothing more than a quick jab to the neck.