A “time-out” instituted to eliminate mistakes during surgery is not being complied with by a significant number of medical personnel, according to a new study. “Methodology and Bias in Assessing Compliance with a Surgical Safety Checklist,” published in the February issue of Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, found that although surgical safety checklists -- such as the perioperative time-out -- have been shown to improve performance on a variety of patient safety measures, some of the items on it are being skipped.

Lung cancer takes more lives than any other cancer. This year it will kill an estimated 160,340 Americans – more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. Yet while lung cancer remains largely a death sentence — just 15.9 percent of those diagnosed are alive five years later — the federal government funds far less research on the disease than on other common cancers.

Question: Are physicians the only medical professionals allowed to perform medical evaluations for respirator use?