Variation in Risk-Adjusted Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Days Within a Quality Collaborative.

Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with increased mortality, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and longer intensive care unit stays. The rate of VAP (VAPs per 1000 ventilator days) within a hospital is an important quality metric. Despite adoption of preventative strategies, rates of VAP in injured patients remain high in trauma centers.

Smoking Cessation for Preoperative Optimization.

Cigarette smoking is associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease and confers increased postoperative morbidity and mortality. Smoking cessation in the weeks before surgery can mitigate these risks, and surgeons should screen patients for smoking before a scheduled operation so that appropriate smoking cessation education and resources can be given. Interventions that combine nicotine replacement therapy, pharmacotherapy, and counseling are effective to achieve durable smoking cessation.

Surgeon behaviors related to engaging patients in smoking cessation at the time of elective surgery.

Background: Despite the abundance of evidence supporting smoking cessation before elective surgery, there is wide variation in surgeon adherence to these best practices.

Methods: This qualitative study used convenience sampling to recruit General Surgery trained surgeons. Surgeons participated in semi-structured interviews based on domains from the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

What We Talk About When We Talk About Coping: A Qualitative Study of Surgery Resident's Coping After Complications and Deaths.

Objective: To explore how surgery residents cope with unwanted patient outcomes including postoperative complications and death.

Background: Surgery residents face a variety of work-related stressors that require them to engage in coping strategies. Postoperative complications and deaths are common sources of such stressors.

The Best Gift You Could Give a Resident: A Qualitative Study of Well-Being Resources and Use Following Unwanted Outcomes.

Unlabelled: In recent years, there has been increasing focus on the well-being of resident physicians. Considering the persistent problem of burnout and attrition particularly among surgical trainees, this is a well-warranted and laudable area of focus. However, despite the widespread adoption of resources available to residents through individual institutions, there is little understanding of how and why these resources are engaged or not during particularly vulnerable moments, such as following an unwanted patient event including postoperative complications and deaths.