FEATURE ARTICLES

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the findings and principal recommendations of a recent National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) report that looks at the pathways for all patients diagnosed with an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Dr DAN COHEN believes that healthcare has much to learn from industries that are inherently dangerous, yet have achieved standards of high reliability performance that have resulted in dramatic improvements in safety, for customers and for staff.

At a one-day seminar, hosted by the Getinge Academy, delegates learned how to improve decontamination performance, through a better understanding of detergents and their role in effective reprocessing of medical devices.

TIM DAVIES explains the many benefits that the use of patients’ own mobile and digital technologies can now bring to clinical and late phase trials.

The Warming Update 2013 webinar was designed to provide a forum for the latest thinking from leading anaesthetists, in an effort to increase awareness of patient warming. SUZANNE CALLANDER reports.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the latest advances in the development of an artificial larynx that aims to offer laryngeal cancer patients a better quality of life following a laryngectomy.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports on visits to Seychelles, in her role as a facilitator for the Friends of African Nursing (FoAN), which has resulted in the charity helping to create a set of national standards for perioperative practice.

PAUL CLARK argues that effective complaint management needs to be at the centre of the NHS’ strategy for improvement. He discusses whether lessons could be learnt from other sectors.

A symposium held at the Infection Prevention conference examined the most effective strategies to prevent infection on the ICU – including the use of chlorhexidine dressings for catheters, daily patient decontamination, better designed endotracheal tubes and VAP care bundles.

Dr DEBRA ADAMS, DEBBIE HICKS and SU DOWN provide an insight into the award-winning initiative ‘FIT4Safety’, which is striving to provide evidence-based, best practice information to all people in the diabetes care setting, who are at risk of sharps/needlestick injury.

Maternity Matters set out clear goals to improve maternity services, but a recent report claims that the implementation of the Government’s strategy has not matched its ambition.

Around-the-clock access to NHS services presents an opportunity to improve care, efficiency, productivity, outcomes and safety, but can the existing supply chain support these changes and what are the wider implications for procurement? NICOLA HALL discusses the challenges ahead.

The UK has lagged behind the rest of Europe in terms of bowel cancer survival. However, the Department of Health is striving to turn this around by increasing detection of early stage cancers, through improved screening. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The annual Reducing HCAIs conference, hosted by Govtoday, as part of its Health and Social Care Reform event series, returns to London’s Brewery Conference Centre on 18 February 2014 – this year under the theme of Improving processes, improving outcomes.

Kettering General Hospital has undertaken a pilot project to examine the potential of point-of-care testing to speed up the assessment and turnaround of patients presenting with chest pain.

Dr TIM SANDLE reports on the results of a study to compare the bacterial reduction properties of skin cleansing solutions, used to prevent infection risk arising from urinary catheter insertion.

Could the use of procedure packs help drive efficiencies and cost savings in the surgical environment and beyond, in addition to helping reduce infection rates through the introduction of more standardised procedures? SUZANNE CALLANDER reports.

JANE KIRK provides an insight into hand hygiene compliance monitoring – examining the technologies and approaches available to drive improvement in healthcare settings.

The 2nd International Targeted Temperature Management (TTM) Teaching Course took place in London in November 2013. The event presented some of the latest thinking relating to following TTM cardiac arrest and neurological trauma.

Creating a safety culture in healthcare while in the midst of an extreme environment of austerity is not an easy task, but as clinicians know, there can be no more important aspect of patient care than to work in an atmosphere where staff have positive perceptions of psychological safety, teamwork and leadership.