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Bobbi S Pritt

Publications and source records attributed to Bobbi S Pritt.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Cutting injuries in an academic pathology department.

CONTEXT: Cutting injuries pose an infrequent but serious threat to anatomic pathology personnel. Although cut-resistant gloves may reduce this danger, it is imperative to recognize specific behaviors that increase the chance of an injury. OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence of cutting injuries in an academic pathology department and the mechanisms by which such injuries occurred. DESIGN: Hospital Report of Event forms completed for laboratory incidents of cutting injury from March 1998 to September 2003 were evaluated. Further information regarding the incidents was obtained, when possible, by interviews with those personnel involved. SETTING: A university-based pathology laboratory was the setting for this study. On average, 505 autopsies and 29,000 surgical specimens were processed each year during the 5.5-year time period. PARTICIPANTS: Pathology attending physicians, residents, dieners, and pathologists' assistants who performed autopsies and surgical specimen examinations. RESULTS: Eight scalpel injuries occurred during the study period. No needle-stick injuries were reported. Searching for lymph nodes and cutting firm tissue each accounted for 3 of the injuries. Only 2 of the 8 individuals were in compliance with the departmental policy regarding protective glove wear. Hospital Report of Event forms alone failed to elicit sufficient detail regarding the mechanism of injury. CONCLUSIONS: A laboratory-based form may be necessary to supplement the hospital form, so as to obtain full details of each injury. This information may then be disseminated to all who handle blades, with the goal of preventing future cutting injuries.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2005

Death certification errors at an academic institution.

CONTEXT: The correctly completed death certificate provides invaluable personal, epidemiologic, and legal information and should be thorough and accurate. Death certification errors are common and range from minor to severe. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and type of errors by nonpathologist physicians at a university-affiliated medical center. DESIGN: Fifty random patients were identified who died at this academic medical center between January 2002 and December 2003 and did not undergo an autopsy. From medical chart review, clinical summaries were produced. Two pathologists used these summaries to create mock death certificates. The original and mock death certificates were then compared to identify errors in the original certificate. Errors were graded on a I to IV scale, with grade IV being the most severe. RESULTS: Of the 50 death certificates reviewed, grade I, II, and III errors were noted in 72%, 32%, and 30%, respectively. Seventeen certificates (34%) had grade IV errors (wrong cause or manner of death). Multiple errors were identified in 82% of the death certificates reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of major (grade IV) death certification errors at this academic setting is high and is consistent with major error rates reported by other academic institutions. We attribute errors to house staff inexperience, fatigue, time constraints, unfamiliarity with the deceased, and perceived lack of importance of the death certificate. To counter these factors, we recommend a multifaceted approach, including an annual course in death certification and discussion of the death certificate for each deceased patient during physician rounds. These measures should result in increased accuracy of this important document.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2003

Digital imaging guidelines for pathology: a proposal for general and academic use.

Digital imaging is an inexpensive and widely available tool that is used by most pathologists in patient reports, education, publication, diagnosis, and data archival. Its popularity is due, in part, to the ease of modifying, storing, enhancing, and annotating images. Since digital manipulation is essentially undetectable in the final product, it poses the potential risk for fraudulent manipulation and heightens the possibility of unintentional misrepresentation. In an attempt to ensure a high degree of uniformity and quality, and to create a professional standardization amongst pathologists, digital imaging guidelines are proposed for use in general and academic practice.

Education, Medical↗