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ACC CV Quality SmartBrief

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  • Flawed study fuels flu vaccine misinformation

    A study posted as a preprint from Cleveland Clinic has been misinterpreted in some circles as evidence that this year's flu vaccine increased the risk of infection, when in fact it was 78% effective, writes emergency medicine physician and public health researcher Dr. Jeremy Faust. The study is "not good science, but it's really a good opportunity to talk about how mistakes are made in science," Faust writes. MedPage Today (free registration) (4/14) Learn More

  • Standardized protocols improve preop bathing compliance

    A project at Sinai Hospital and University of Maryland Medical Center addressed low compliance with preoperative bathing, in an effort to reduce surgical site infections. The team developed hospital-wide standardized protocols after finding no significant difference in effectiveness between the use of chlorhexidine gluconate and antimicrobial soap. Infection Control Today (4/15) Learn More

  • AMR associated with 3M child deaths in 2022

    Research presented at an ESCMID conference found that antimicrobial resistance contributed to the deaths of 3 million children in 2022, with the highest burden in Africa and Southeast Asia. The study analyzed data from 83 countries and highlighted a significant increase in the use of "Watch" and "Reserve" antibiotics. "It is tempting to assume the rise in resistance is because of the rise in use, but especially because the actual volumes of use of Reserve antibiotics are so small, one would not expect that to be the case," said researcher Dr. Joseph Harwell. Healio (free registration) (4/14) Learn More

  • Miscommunication endangers patient safety in hospitals

    Poor verbal, non-verbal, written or electronic communication among health care workers contributed to 25% of patient safety incidents in hospitals between 2013 and 2024 and was the sole cause of 10% of safety incidents, according to a meta-analysis of studies from various regions around the world. "Health care professionals seeking to enhance their own communication skills may be guided by published reports of communication interventions designed to improve patient safety," researchers wrote in Annals of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News (4/15) Learn More

  • EHR data can help identify patients with housing insecurity

    Frequent address changes in electronic health records are linked to homelessness and certain health issues, according to a study by Northwestern Medicine recently published in PLOS One. Patients with a record of homelessness averaged 1.8 address changes, compared with 0.6 for those without. Patients with four or more address changes showed a higher prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses at 65.2%, compared with 27.7% for those with no address change. Becker's Hospital Review (4/16) Learn More

  • Interventions boost COVID-19 equity, vaccination rates

    A study presented at the American Medical Group Association's annual meeting highlights the effectiveness of interventions informed by comprehensive needs assessments at the patient, provider and health system levels. The study, involving three health care organizations, used the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework to guide assessments and interventions, resulting in increased COVID-19 vaccination and reduced disparities in treatment, particularly among Black and Hispanic patients. The American Journal of Managed Care (4/14) Learn More

  • New drug may benefit patients not responding to statins

    Investigational drug AZD0780 showed promise in lowering LDL cholesterol levels in patients who are unable to reach target levels with statin therapy. The oral drug targets PCSK9 and offers a convenient alternative to injectable PCSK9 inhibitors. Findings were presented at ACC.25 and published in JACC. Medscape (4/16) Learn More

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