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Risks from cold and dry gas insufflation become history

Modern laparoscopy, the technique of looking inside the abdominal cavity, is a major medical innovation driven initially by physicians from Germany as well as by Swedes and Americans.

The National Health Service Taskforce

A taskforce has been set up in England after it emerged that more than 750 patients had suffered as a result of serious preventable mistakes in hospitals over the past four years.

Hygiene: Back to basics

Two statements from publications by Dr Stephanie Dancer, Department of Microbiology, Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride (UK) prompted Ralf Mateblowski to interview Professor Markus Dettenkofer, Acting Director of the Institute for Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene, Freiburg University Medical Centre about environmental and infection control

Goodbye to needlestick injuries

All hospital professions can be affected by injuries resulting from cuts and needlesticks, whether they are doctors, nurses or cleaners.

UK: Multidisciplinary teamwork will stay

With the effectiveness of ‘tumour board review’ in the USA questioned in a 2012 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Mark Nicholls sought the opinion of UK-based consultant urological surgeon Ben Challacombe

Violence in the hospital

Aggression and violence towards hospital staff by patients and their relatives and visitors alike is an under-reported and an under-discussed issue. A French webside wants to inform employees how they can prevent and react on aggressions.

Interoperability now comes to self-service kiosks in England’s NHS

The “Nicholson challenge" is a set of mandates put forth by the England’s NHS leader Sir David Nicholson. It aims at identifying, and tapping, efficiency potentials in the service.

Truth behind the thousands of “needless” deaths at NHS trusts

Statistics behind the headlines: Have there been 13,000 needless deaths at 14 NHS trusts?

Patient privacy top priority in Norway

The Norwegian Health Directorate has selected FairWarning Patient Privacy Monitoring solution as an integral part of the national roll out of the Norwegian Summary Care Record (SCR).

Hospital Build & Infrastructure Europe

Around 2,800 visitors are expected at this year’s international Hospital Build & Infrastructure Europe (HBIE) fair, where presentations will include ‘pioneering healthcare strategies, prudent facility management and new approaches for the sustainable operation of hospitals’ as central themes.

Treating bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is highly challenging in terms of patient management and medical costs. As the fourth most frequent cancer in men and ninth in women in developed countries, although BC is a common disease it is still under-represented in public awareness and in cancer research .

A new era of patient care

Paramount to reduced costs and a shortage of skilled professionals, improved quality of care and patient satisfaction are the leading priorities in healthcare today.

Quality control via round robin tests

If a parameter is determined with different test systems the results must still be comparable. This sounds simple, but is hard to achieve.

Fraudulent and faulty medical implants

Shaken by two medical implant scandals, France is scrambling to rebuild confidence in its system of medical products and medication surveillance, John Brosky reports

Equity of access to quality health to quality healthcare

Access to healthcare is a fundamental citizen’s right. However health disparities still exist and are even more put at risk with the economic crisis and austerity measures.

Study confirms universal decolonization of ICU patients

Patients' pathogen acquisition was reduced with Chlorhexidine gluconate 2% w/v impregnated pad, and intranasal mupirocin ointment - Study published in New England Journal of Medicine confirms universal decolonization of ICU patients reduces bloodstream infections by 44%.

Spanish Hospital presents its sepsis code at international forum

Hospital Marina Salud de Dénia presented its Sepsis Code at the National Health IT Conference and Exhibition, which recently took place in Birmingham, UK.

News • Anaesthesiology

Accidental awareness under general anaesthesia

A UK study has highlighted the issue of patients waking up from a general anaesthetic while undergoing surgery. The research, which questioned more than 7,100 consultant anaesthetists, revealed that there was about one episode of accidental awareness in every 15,000 general anaesthetics cases in the three million UK operations in 2011.

Delirium – an under-recognised risk factor

Disorientation, anxiety and hallucinations are symptoms of delirium, which may also occur after major surgery. Older people are particularly affected by postoperative delirium. Delirium after surgery occurs in up to 70% of cases, Anja Behringer reports

Bladder cancer update

In developed countries, bladder cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in men and the ninth in women, and it greatly challenges patient management and cost containment. However, it is under-represented in public awareness and in cancer research.

Europe’s policymakers on diagnosis and management of CDI

Urgent action is needed to improve the diagnosis and management of CDI, which is the main cause of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) diarrhoea in industrialised countries. In a report launched today, during a meeting hosted by the European Healthcare and Hospital Federation (HOPE), experts from across Europe highlight the current deficiencies in the management of CDI and outline the steps that are…