Evaluation of the B-SAFE campaign to reduce clinically significant warfarin-drug interactions among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a health communication campaign designed to reduce the rate of serious warfarin-related drug interactions. The B-SAFE campaign was conducted in 2009 to educate patients located in a Michigan hospital's service area about the risk of serious adverse drug events associated with warfarin. The rate of warfarin-related drug interactions among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients admitted to the exposed hospital with hemorrhagic complications was compared with the rate of warfarin-related drug interactions among a similar cohort admitted to a control hospital before and after the campaign.

Microbial growth on the anesthesia machine.

The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of microbial growth that develops on the anesthesia machine after a full day's use in the operating room. This descriptive bacteriology study is relevant to anesthesia practice because of the proximity of the oropharynx and multiple body fluids to anesthesia equipment and the potential for cross-contamination to patients and staff. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to evaluate the change in colony-forming units (CFUs) before and after use of equipment.