Research published in the American Journal of Nursing found a standardized handover process between the operating room to the ICU reduced interruptions and handover process and information-sharing errors. Implementing a standardized process for handovers did not increase handover time.

Interhospital patient transfers increase the risk of Clostridium difficile infection, according to a Canadian study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. Researchers said antimicrobial stewardship programs can reduce the risk of C. diff infection.

CDC officials reported 22 additional influenza-related pediatric deaths for the week ending Feb. 10, bringing the season's total to 84, while nearly 68 people per 100,000 had flu-related hospitalizations, up from about 60 per 100,000 the previous week. The CDC said activity remains widespread in 48 states, and 1 in 13 doctor visits involved fever, cough and other flu symptoms, the same level as the week before.

Rural US counties had the highest infant mortality rate between 2013 and 2015, with the highest prevalence of infant deaths due to congenital malformations, sudden infant death syndrome and unintentional injuries but the lowest rate of infant deaths due to low birth weight and maternal complications, compared with small and medium urban counties and large urban counties, according to a report in the CDC's NCHS Data Brief. The findings also showed the highest rates of post-neonatal deaths due to congenital malformations, homicide, SIDS and unintentional injuries in rural counties.

The FDA has granted artificial intelligence health care developer Viz.ai approval for its LVO Stroke platform, which is intended for analyzing computed tomography results and delivering notifications to providers regarding potential large vessel occlusive strokes. The software device, which uses deep learning, provides alerts by connecting to a hospital CT scanner and allows for direct transmission of radiological images to physicians' phones.

Researchers found that at least 500 people were affected in each of 215 data breaches reported by 185 nonfederal acute care hospitals from 2009 to 2016, and 30 hospitals experienced multiple breaches during the study period. The findings in the American Journal of Managed Care showed that while network servers were the most infrequent site of data breaches, the most patients were affected by these incidents overall.