… control measures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. … Gould D, Purssell E, Jeanes A, et al. The problem with 'My …

… strengthening dual diagnosis detection. … Calder LA, Perry J, Yan JW, et al. Adverse events among emergency department … study. Ann Emerg Med. Epub 2021 Feb 23. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.12.012. …

This thematic analysis explored variations in the impact of hand hygiene interventions to prevent healthcare-associated infections. The analysis identified several directions for future research, including exploring ways to avoid the Hawthorne effect, embed the interventions into wider patient safety initiatives, and develop systematic approaches to implementation.

Procedural sedation is more commonly used among pediatric patients compared to adult patients. In this prospective study across six emergency departments, researchers found that the occurrence of serious adverse events among children receiving sedation varied depending on the type of medication used.

… to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care. Gould DJ, Moralejo D, Drey N, Chudleigh JH, Taljaard M. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. …

Efforts to reduce the burden of disease caused by health care–associated infections have focused on specific infections that cause significant morbidity and mortality, such as central line–associated bloodstream infections and surgical site infections. Infection with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), which causes severe diarrhea in patients receiving antibiotics for other reasons, has become increasingly common in hospitals as well. This Canadian study is the first to demonstrate a clear association between C. difficile infection and an increased risk of mortality. As these infections are considered largely preventable, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer reimburses hospitals for additional costs associated with hospital-acquired C. difficile infection.

Significant attention to gaps in the continuity of care has led to past research focused on hospital transitions and medication management systems in the ambulatory setting. This study tracked information exchange between outpatient providers caring for the same patient following hospital discharge. Remarkably, they discovered that information from the previous visit was available at a subsequent visit only 22% of the time. Factors associated with information being available included care by a family physician and whether that physician was treating the patient prior to hospitalization. The findings raise ongoing concerns about poor communication and highlight the need for systems to foster more effective clinical information exchange between providers. A past AHRQ WebM&M perspective discussed care transitions associated with hospital discharge.