A Prospective Study to Assess the Relationship Between Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Patient Outcomes.

Background: Effective technical and nontechnical skills are necessary for surgeons to provide optimal patient care. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and postoperative outcomes among general surgery patients.

Method: This prospective observational study was conducted at a single, large, urban, academic hospital in the USA from February to September 2022.

Quality improvement in public-private partnerships in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Background: Public-private partnerships (PPP) are often how health improvement programs are implemented in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). We therefore aimed to systematically review the literature about the aim and impacts of quality improvement (QI) approaches in PPP in LMICs.

Methods: We searched SCOPUS and grey literature for studies published before March 2022.

Learning from the implementation of a surgical opioid reduction initiative in an integrated health system: a qualitative study among providers and patients.

Background: Surgical opioid overprescribing can result in long-term use or misuse. Between July 2018 and March 2019, the multicomponent intervention, Minimizing Opioid Prescribing in Surgery (MOPiS) was implemented in the general surgery clinics of five hospitals and successfully reduced opioid prescribing. To date, various studies have shown a positive outcome of similar reduction initiatives.

Adherence to Opioid Prescribing Guidelines in a Statewide Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Introduction: The opioid crisis is an ongoing crisis in the United States. Postoperative patients who receive opioid prescriptions have a 3%-7% risk of developing a chronic opioid abuse problem. This study aims to describe on-target opioid prescribing and use of multimodal pain management strategies 2 y after the implementation of a multicomponent quality improvement initiative across our statewide collaborative.

The development of a safe opioid use agreement for surgical care using a modified Delphi method.

Background: Opioids prescribed to treat postsurgical pain have contributed to the ongoing opioid epidemic. While opioid prescribing practices have improved, most patients do not use all their pills and do not safely dispose of leftovers, which creates a risk for unsafe use and diversion. We aimed to generate consensus on the content of a "safe opioid use agreement" for the perioperative settings to improve patients' safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids.

Evaluation of emergency department treat-and-release encounters after major gastrointestinal surgery.

Background And Objectives: Emergency department (ED) utilization after gastrointestinal cancer operations is poorly characterized. Our study objectives were to determine the incidence of, reasons for, and predictors of ED treat-and-release encounters after gastrointestinal cancer operations.

Methods: Patients who underwent elective esophageal, hepatobiliary, gastric, pancreatic, small intestinal, or colorectal operations for cancer were identified in the 2015-2017 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient and State Emergency Department Databases for New York, Maryland, and Florida.

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Patient-Reported Outcome Monitoring in Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Introduction: More than 30% of patients experience complications after major gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, many of which occur after discharge when patients and families must assume responsibility for monitoring. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been proposed as a tool for remote monitoring to identify deviations in recovery, and recognize and manage complications earlier. This study's objective was to characterize barriers and facilitators to the use of PROs as a patient monitoring tool following GI surgery.

A Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Patient and Provider Perspectives on Pain Management Needs and Opioid Prescribing in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care.

Background: Recent data have shown high rates of opioid misuse among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. We conducted a qualitative study to explore IBD patient and provider perceptions and experiences with pain management and opioid prescribing.

Methods: We conducted a focus group with IBD patients and semistructured interviews with IBD-focused physicians and nurses.

Barriers to Post-Discharge Monitoring and Patient-Clinician Communication: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: As postoperative length of stay has decreased for many operations, the proportion of complications occurring post-discharge is increasing. Early identification and management of these complications requires overcoming barriers to effective post-discharge monitoring and communication. The aim of this study was to identify barriers to post-discharge monitoring and patient-clinician communication through a qualitative study of surgical patients and clinicians.

Prophylactic anticoagulation for preterm premature rupture of membranes: a decision analysis.

Background: The current standard of care in the setting of preterm premature rupture of membranes involves antenatal hospitalization until delivery. The reduced physical activity during this time compounds the heightened risk for venous thromboembolism in pregnancy. Prophylactic anticoagulation can decrease this risk of venous thromboembolism; however, this benefit must be balanced against the risks of precluding neuraxial analgesia or increasing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of employer-led interventions for drug misuse.

Aims: Employers in the United States incur substantial costs associated with substance use disorders. Our goal was to examine the effectiveness of employer-led interventions to reduce the adverse effects of drug misuse in the workplace.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies that evaluated the effectiveness of recommended workplace interventions for opioids and related drugs: employee education, drug testing, employee assistance programs, supervisor training, written workplace drug-free policy, and restructuring employee health benefit plans.