Using patient safety as tool to improve health inequalities
Viewing health inequalities through the lens of patient safety could help health care professionals and organizations define concrete steps to improve the care and outcomes of people in marginalized ethnic populations, according to an analysis co-authored by Cian…
Mental health benefits associated with gender-affirming surgery
Gender-affirming surgeries are associated with numerous positive health benefits, including lower rates of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, as well as lower rates of smoking, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.…
WHO’s life-saving surgical checklist poorly adopted in low-income countries
Adoption of the World Health Organization’s surgical checklist has been spotty, according to a new report. The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is a list of 19 questions, some of which are as elemental as making sure the right…
Was Neil Armstrong’s death due to a medical error?
The death of astronaut Neil Armstrong in 2012 after heart surgery may have occurred because of incompetent post-surgical care, according to recent news reports. Armstrong’s family received a $6 million confidential settlement in 2014 from Mercy Health Fairfield…
Watchdog group to put focus on surgical centers
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that assesses how nearly 2,000 hospitals across the U.S. handle problems and assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their performance, is now turning its attention to surgery centers. An October…
Medicaid expansion linked with better, more timely surgical care
For immediate release: January 24, 2018 Boston, MA – The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion was linked to better access to surgery and higher quality surgical care, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of…
The surprising factor behind a spike in C-sections
In this week's episode, we'll take a look at efforts to figure out what is driving rising C-section rates, and what can be done to prevent them.
Colonoscopy benefits after age 75 questioned
Colonoscopies may not provide much cancer prevention benefit after age 75, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers. The study was published online September 27, 2016 in the Annals of…
Atul Gawande on surgery, writing, health policy—and more
Surgeon, writer, and public health researcher Atul Gawande recently spoke on “The Ezra Klein Show,” a podcast on Vox, about how all the different parts of his work come together into one single engine for making change. Gawande…
Surgical safety checklists effective but challenging to implement
A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that surgical safety checklists improve patient outcomes and quality of care across countries. But they only work if people use them, and implementation can be difficult in some…