FEATURE ARTICLES

KATE BEAUMONT discusses the key issues, contributory factors and care delivery problems in deterioration incidents – drawing on the Swiss Cheese Model – and considers how a systems improvement approach can be used to ensure patient safety.

JONATHAN PLUMB, nursing advisor at the MHRA, explains why it is so important to report all adverse incidents relating to medical devices.

Recent clinical trials continue to demonstrate the ability of electronic retinal implants to restore vision to patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Growing demand for a wide range of surgical procedures, coupled with a strong belief in the advantages – both to surgeons and patients – of minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery, have seen the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust open a new twin operating theatre suite, equipped with the Midlands’ first da Vinci surgical robot, at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. JONATHAN BAILLIE reports.

Dignity in healthcare is an emotive subject. KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS has been researching the issues surrounding patient dignity and presents her findings in the first of a series of thought provoking articles on this subject.

The Clinical Services Journal takes a closer look at the forthcoming MEDICA event, which takes place in Dusseldorf in November, finding out more about some of the latest medical technology developments that will be showcased.

MARK EATON explores the pressures faced by leaders in community and acute healthcare organisations and looks at the key organisational issues that need to be addressed if they are to successfully lead transformational change during difficult times

At the recent 3M European Infection Prevention Expert Conference which took place in Germany, Professor JUDITH TANNER gave a presentation about the benefits of pre-operative patient warming in reducing surgical site infection and the financial implications of its adoption.

The 47th AfPP (Association for Perioperative Practice) Congress and Exhibition takes place from 19-21 October at the Bournemouth International Centre.

The Clinical Services Journal reports on the most recent research which could help develop techniques to assist with the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, a move which would allow people to better plan for the future, and enable potential new treatments to be tested at the earliest stages of the disease, when they are most likely to have an effect.

The use of ultrasound as an intraoperative tool to guide surgeons is an exciting area of development where the technology can offer improvements to patient care, says DANILO TAPPIA.

Following the recent publication of final guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, relating to oesophageal doppler monitoring during major surgery, The Clinical Services Journal reports on the technology and its affect on patient outcome.

SUSAN PEARSON reports on a new method for monitoring Legionella in water systems which can provide accurate results in hours, instead of weeks. It could soon be used for compliance testing for Legionella counts if UKAS accreditation is achieved.

MARK EATON argues that Lean methodologies have an important role to play in tackling the divergence of processes and approaches in the healthcare environment to offer productivity and safety improvements.

The Clinical Services Journal reviews a recent Health Briefing issued by the Audit Commission, which looks at how Primary Care Trusts are spending on low clinical value surgical treatments and how they are making decisions on which procedures warrant the title “low clinical value”.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on an automated auditing solution which has supported Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s turnaround to become one of the most improved Trusts in relation to healthcare associated infections.

Dr KEL PALMER, clinical director for the CROMES project, discusses the reasons for the introduction of this toolkit which has been produced to offer guidance on the diagnosis and management of upper GI bleeding.

MARK GREENER explores the role of octenidine in helping to deal with HAIs, and argues that effective infection control requires us to think beyond the hospital doors.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports on a toolkit designed to make handovers between doctors, nurses and healthcare teams safer for the patient. She believes it will be of considerable value to teams wishing to improve their culture of patient safety.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the winners of this year’s Clinical Engineering Team of the Year, an annual award for medical engineering teams, which aims to encourage the implementation of innovative solutions to the management of medical devices.