Optimization of a Sterile Processing Department Using Lean Six Sigma Methodology, Staffing Enhancement, and Capital Investment.

Background: Many hospitals and surgery centers have focused improvement efforts on operating room inefficiencies. A common inefficiency is missing and unusable surgical instrumentation, which can result in case delays and decreased effectiveness. Lean Six Sigma methodology, a set of process improvement tools focused on the reduction of waste and variation, has been used to identify and correct root causes of missing and unusable instrumentation.

Evaluating the association of self-reported psychological distress and self-rated health on survival times among women with breast cancer in the U.S.

Background: Psychological distress and self-rated health status may create additional complexities in patients already diagnosed with breast cancer. This study aims to assess the association of self-report-based assessment of psychological distress and self-rated health on survival times among women with breast cancer diagnoses.

Methods: Seventeen-year data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-National Health Interview Survey (IPUMS-NHIS) were pooled and analyzed.

A Population-Based Study of Factors Associated with Postpartum Contraceptive Use by Birth Interval Length.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with postpartum contraceptive use among women with short and moderate-to-long birth intervals using population-based data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System.

Methods: Because only Mississippi and Tennessee include a question about birth interval length on their Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System survey, this analysis was limited to women from those states who reported information on this variable (N = 2198). Demographic, lifestyle, and reproductive data, including information on postpartum contraceptive use, were obtained from surveys and birth certificates.