A viral TikTok trend is encouraging young people to slam a blunt object on their face with the desire of changing their face shapes — and physicians are advising against the practice known as "bone smashing," CBS News reported Nov. 6. 

Two AdventHealth hospitals have been recognized for a "patient falls bootcamp" effort that cut incidents by 33%, with some units improving as much as 50% from last year. 

Earlier this year, researchers published results from the first study to quantify the burden of misdiagnoses in the U.S., which found nearly 800,000 people are permanently disabled or die from diagnostic errors. 

More than 50% of patients experiencing long COVID-19 did not improve after 18 months, according to new study findings that included more than 800 patients. 

The world's second patient transplanted with a genetically modified pig heart has died, the University of Maryland School of Medicine said Oct. 31.

The CDC found brain abscesses tripled and the baseline almost doubled since pre-pandemic times, Science Alert reported Oct. 30.

Overall, there is little variation in interventions used to prevent patient falls, despite different risk levels, according to a new data analysis from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 

A 25-bed hospital in Colorado is among the most prepared facilities in the nation to treat pediatric patients in its emergency department, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 25. 

TeamBirth, a novel care delivery model developed in 2021 that slowly rolled out across top hospitals like Cleveland Clinic, has made its way to the West Coast, being implemented across 15 hospitals in Washington, according to an Oct. 23 news release.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has provided 88 abortions to veterans and beneficiaries since it began offering the service last year, according to federal documents obtained by Military.com.

AdventHealth for Children's Down syndrome clinic in Orlando, Fla., opened Oct. 17 as part of a new lifespan program for adults and children with the condition.

A recent working paper found that during ransomware attacks, in-hospital patient mortality increased by 20% to 35%, NPR reported Oct. 20. 

Integrating human factors is essential for the future of healthcare safety and sustainability, but many systems are working against the system instead of toward it, an op-ed piece in Science Direct written by five physicians said.

Several reports about successful pig organ transplant procedures have emerged in 2023, continuing to lay the foundation for eventual human clinical trials and possibly a future in which xenotransplants become the norm for patients in need of a vital organ. 

Patients — especially those living in poverty — see better surgical outcomes when treated at a hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Surgery. 

Primary care providers are an important factor in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare spending, but the system is showing cracks, The Washington Post reported Oct. 17.

Researchers at Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center developed an artificial intelligence model to identify pediatric patients who are at high risk of developing blood clots. While the model was shown to be accurate in identifying those at highest risk, physicians were reluctant to follow the accompanying recommendation, according to findings published Oct. 13 in JAMA Network Open. 

The Joint Commission recently updated its 20-year-old guidance on preventing surgical fires and burns, the organization said Oct. 18. 

An inmate escaped from Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Oct. 17 while still wearing handcuffs, WRAL News reported.

A man was found dead by suicide after he sneaked a gun into H. John Heinz III VA Medical Center in O'Hara, Pa., Trib Live reported Oct. 16.