IHQSE Certificate Training Program Graduates Dr. Norman Friedman, Renee Crowder and Sarah Derieg developed a set of screening criteria to predict children who would need overnight monitoring after surgery for sleep-disordered breathing. They report that 75% of patients did not have a prolonged oxygen requirement making them candidates for same day surgery. The probability of a prolonged oxygen requirement was only 18% if patients did not have a diagnosis of asthma or a resting pulse oxygen measurement of < 96%. They conclude that all patients who are off oxygen within 3 hours of surgery and pass a sleep room air challenge are safe for discharge to home.

Among the myriad impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic had on medicine and patient care, restrictions on face-to-face interactions among practitioners are often overlooked. In a commentary written for The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, IHQSE alum, Dr. Sarah Parker, explores how collaborative processes like “handshake” antimicrobial stewardship have adapted to the challenge posed by social distancing and increased virtual communication.

Andrea Prinzi, Ph.D., MPH, a member of the 2020 cohort of the IHQSE Certificate Training Program published their work in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, showing that endotracheal aspirate cultures commonly overreport lower respiratory tract infections due to contamination, often resulting in excess antimicrobial therapy.

IHQSE faculty, Dr. Sarah Tevis and team, evaluated pain management practices in relation to postoperative prescribing of opioids for patients undergoing breast surgery. The authors suggest that a revaluation of pre- and perioperative pain management practices and a multidisciplinary approach using ERAS protocols could potentially lead to improved patient outcomes while mitigating opioid over-prescription.