Physicians Editor's Note Physician burnout was linked to a higher risk of patient safety incidents, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer care in this study. This meta-analysis of 47 studies involving more than 40,000 physicians, found that physician burnout was associated with double the odds for involvement in patient safety incidents and…
Editor's Note In this position paper, three global surgery groups advocate for global surgeons based in US academic healthcare centers. Though 30% of all diseases globally require surgical care and expertise, global surgeons based in academic healthcare centers often face institutional barriers that make it difficult to take time to…
Editor's Note A recent Reaction Data survey of 254 physicians found that 21% believed electronic health records (EHRs) were the biggest determinant in burnout, followed by payers/preauthorization, regulatory compliance, and internal bureaucracy, the July 31 Healthcare Informatics reports. All factors had a common theme of consuming time and preventing physicians…
Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 issued a proposed rule that includes updated payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on or after January 1, 2019. Physician fee schedule rates will be updated by…
Editor's Note Female general surgery residents work more, experience aspects of burnout more frequently, and have poorer psychological well-being, this study finds. Of 7,395 residents surveyed (response rate, 99%), females reported: more frequently staying in the hospital >28 hours or working >80 hours per week more frequently feeling fatigued and…
Editor's Note In this national study, physician burnout, fatigue, and work unit safety grades were associated with major medical errors. Of 6,695 physicians in active practice surveyed, 6,586 provided information: 54.3% reported symptoms of burnout 32.8% reported excessive fatigue 6.5% reported recent suicidal ideation 3.9% reported a poor or failing…
Editor's Note In patients with traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) after traffic collisions, advanced life support (ALS) performed by physicians was associated with increased chance of 1-month survival compared with ALS or basic life support (BLS) performed by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, this Japanese study finds. Of 4,328 patients…
Editor's Note Surgeon preference for bouffant versus skull caps does not have a significant effect on surgical site infection (SSI) rates, after accounting for procedure type, this study finds. Of 1,543 procedures analyzed, surgeons wore bouffant caps in 39% and skull caps in 61% of cases. Overall, SSIs occurred in…
Editor's Note In this study, non-elective surgical procedures performed by older surgeons (aged 50 and up) had lower mortality rates than those performed by younger surgeons, and mortality rates did not differ significantly by surgeon gender. A total of 892,187 Medicare patients who had one of 20 common types of…
Editor's Note In this study, a significant mismatch was found between parents’ and pediatric surgeons’ expectations on the role of the surgeon on the day of surgery, with parents expecting more direct involvement by the attending surgeon. A total of 110 parents and 84 pediatric surgeons and surgical residents completed…
