Scant published data exist on redesigning pathology practice based on error data. In this first step of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety project, we measured the performance metrics of thyroid gland fine-needle aspiration, performed root cause analysis to determine the causes of error, and proposed error-reduction initiatives to address specific errors. Eleven cytolo...

BACKGROUND Surgical robotics has been shown to improve the accuracy of bone preparation and soft tissue balance in unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA). However, although extensive data have emerged with regard to a CT scan-based haptically constrained robotic arm, little is known about the accuracy of a newer alternative, an imageless robotic system. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES We assessed the accurac...

PURPOSE Medication errors remain a threat to patient safety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationships among characteristics of the nursing practice environment, nurse staffing levels, nurses' error interception practices, and rates of nonintercepted medication errors in acute care hospitals. DESIGN This study, using a nonexperimental design, was conducted in a s...

background: supracondylar fracture of the humerus is the second most common fracture in children. for most cases closed reduction and percutaneous crossed pinning is recommended. those patients who had previously undergone an unsuccessful closed reduction trial need open reduction and pin fixation, but the best surgical approach is questionable. most surgeons apply the technique of posterior or...

OBJECTIVE Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a reliable method in the initial assessment of thyroid nodules. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the causes for discordance between the interpretation on FNA and the pathologic findings in the resected thyroid. METHODS A computer search of all thyroidectomy specimens with previous FNA from January 1998 to December 2001 was obtained from the f...

BACKGROUND Despite the emphasis on medical error as a major cause of hospital morbidity and mortality, there has been little published work on errors committed by trainees. This issue is particularly relevant to the training of surgeons and was addressed by our study. METHODS Sixty simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed on restructured pig tissue models by 60 surgical trainees pro...

background: reintubation in patients after cardiac surgery is associated with undesirable consequences. the purpose of the present study was to identify variables that could predict reintubation necessity in this group of patients. methods: w e performed a prospective study in 1000 consecutive adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. the patients who required reint...

introduction: the pericranial flaps' benefits have been described in many otolaryngologic, maxillofacial and plastic surgery literature. the benefits ar e due to the pericranial flaps unique characteristics including good flexibility and mobility, very rich blood supply from several arterial sources and access to sufficient bulk of the flap without any need for distant surgical sites. usin...

one of the basic purposes in dental treatment is providing a painless treatment for patients. this purpose may be achieved by the application of laser in dentistry. low-level laser therapy (lllt) is an internationally accepted title for biomodulation with low-level lasers which we use to achieve ideal therapeutic effects. low-level laser therapy is a painless, reproducible, non-invasive, and wi...