4 ms·

True, for the the OR, but the New Yorker had a great article about how in many of the places in a hospital outside the OR cleanliness is often a problem, and st

True, for the the OR, but the New Yorker had a great article about how in many of the places in a hospital outside the OR cleanliness is often a problem, and statistically leads to a significantly higher amount of patient sickness and mortality. Despite the clear statistics the doctor writing the piece wrote that efforts to increase hospital sanitation were met with quite a bit of skepticism, and consequently, were not followed (a sentiment echoed in this slate piece). I wish I could link to the article, but I can't find it on the New Yorker site.

dmlorenzetti 17y ago
Possibly you mean this Atul Gawande article on the power of checklists: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_gawande http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_...
jessriedel 17y ago
I assume you mean the checklist article that dmlorenzetti found, which I've read. That article is about people in the ICU--not merely outside the OR--where it is indeed paramount to take all measures possible to reduce the risk of infection. If checklists are effective in reducing mortality in the ICU, then great; doctors and nurses should be insistently prodded to use them. But this shouldn't be confused with a mandate to go hand-washing crazy for all hospitals and doctor's offices. ICU patients make up a tiny percentage of all patients. (As an aside, I am a bit skeptical of these pieces written in the popular press by experts in a certain field which criticize their colleagues. Sometimes, it's a case where the field really has settled into a bad equilibrium, and the contrarian must go outside the fold to right the situation. But often, it's simply an outlet for the contrarian to preach to an audience which doesn't have the expertise and experience to assess his claims.)

4 ms·

True, for the the OR, but the New Yorker had a great article about how in many of the places in a hospital outside the OR cleanliness is often a problem, and st

by andrewvc 17y ago

dmlorenzetti 17y ago
Possibly you mean this Atul Gawande article on the power of checklists: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_gawande http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_...
jessriedel 17y ago
I assume you mean the checklist article that dmlorenzetti found, which I've read. That article is about people in the ICU--not merely outside the OR--where it is indeed paramount to take all measures possible to reduce the risk of infection. If checklists are effective in reducing mortality in the ICU, then great; doctors and nurses should be insistently prodded to use them. But this shouldn't be confused with a mandate to go hand-washing crazy for all hospitals and doctor's offices. ICU patients make up a tiny percentage of all patients. (As an aside, I am a bit skeptical of these pieces written in the popular press by experts in a certain field which criticize their colleagues. Sometimes, it's a case where the field really has settled into a bad equilibrium, and the contrarian must go outside the fold to right the situation. But often, it's simply an outlet for the contrarian to preach to an audience which doesn't have the expertise and experience to assess his claims.)