Surgery Commons^™

Reducing Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (Cauti) By Decreasing Use Of Indwelling Catheters, Joanne Chapman, Brenda Clark, Brian Jumper, Carrie Strick

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Background:

Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) are considered a preventable hospital-acquired infection [2]. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare no longer reimburse hospitals for preventable CAUTIs [2]. A concerted effort to decrease our indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) rate has led to a decrease in the number of infections related to these catheters at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland, Maine. Starting in 2012 as a result of The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal, the inter-professional CAUTI committee focus has been on decreasing utilization of IUC[1]. After an initial large decrease in utilization, the rates have flattened. The effort over …

Prions To Pathways: Safeguarding Against Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease In The Operating Room, Jessica Mary Adams Atkinson, Sonja Carol Orff

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Introduction:

As defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC, 2018), Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive, rare, transmissible, and fatal illness. Miscoiling of healthy proteins caused by an abnormal isoform of cellular glycoprotein resulting in protein folding has been found to be the molecular mechanism during the pathological process of this malady (Figure 1), (Castle, Gill, 2017). The current problem is that few recommendations are available for organizations to consider how to manage potential CJD patient cases, and institutions are left to compile and develop their own guidelines and/or protocols for clinical practice. The standards of care for …

First Case Start Times For Vascular Surgery, Timothy Kafer, Brian Nolan, Jill Knutson, Amy Fournier, Lori Luebbert, J Gregoire, M Daigle, M E. Souliere, J Colpitts, E Anderson, P Briggs, L Ramsey, R Pratt-Pooler, M Maclean, E Estes, S Cheney, D Buck, B Rioux, L Marles

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Problem/Impact Statement:

85% of first cases at Maine Medical Center for Vascular Surgery start late. According to one study done by Aurora Health Care; of 5,500 first case surgeries, 88% of them started late. The impact of this is far reaching. It is not in alignment with MMC value of Patient Centered Care because the patient becomes dissatisfied waiting to be brought in to surgery , they are fasting for longer than anticipated, and being away from their family while they wait causing anxiety. The financial impact is $1995 for each 1⁄2 hr. of O.R. time. Furthermore, this may result …

Interdepartmental Rounding, Peggy Anderson, Carrie Strick, R3 Med-Surg Unit, Haley Pelletier, Suneela Nayak, Stephen Tyzik, Ruth Hanselman, Maine Medical Center Operational Excellence

MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DOCTORS AND NURSES IN AN ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL

Effective interdisciplinary communication is imperative for safe patient care in an acute care hospital environment.

A surgical unit used their HCAHPs scores to assess how often patients perceived there was good communication between different doctors and nurses during their hospital stays. The data demonstrated that this occurred 22% less often than the national average.

As a result of a root cause analysis, a number of countermeasures were initiated with the goal of achieving scores greater than the national average. Post KPI inception in the second quarter of …

Cryo Surgery Of The Prostate: An Effective, Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapy With Superior Health-Related Quality-Of-Life Outcomes, Martyn A. Vickers Jr

Oncology

What is the best treatment for localized, aggressive prostate cancer? One option is Cryo Surgery, a primary option that utilizes localized freezing to destroy diseased tissue. If you or your patients wish to consider Cryo Surgery, be sure to discuss this option with an urologist who performs Cryo Surgery of the prostate. Many urologists have not observed or been trained in the performance of this procedure. Prostate cancer allows you time to carefully consider all treatment options. Make an educated decision!