Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship: AAAHC Publishes New Toolkit
The toolkit offers a core elements checklist for assessing policies and procedures, treatment recommendations in primary care taken from the CDC, and a flow chart that maps out considerations for surgical procedures. It also provides recent information on potential threats to antimicrobial stewardship due to COVID-19.
Advance Care Planning: A Quality and Patient Safety Must
A year living through a pandemic has made this issue even more abundant—older patients, and those with chronic conditions, have been among those most at risk for severe, life-threatening conditions, including those attached to COVID-19. And what happens when one of these patients is placed on a ventilator, unable to voice their wants in terms of treatment? To avoid these scenarios, the industry needs to ensure providers, caregivers, patients, and families are engaged in advance care planning discussions.
Temperature Monitoring Technology for COVID-19 Vaccines
With the death toll from COVID-19 reaching staggering numbers, vaccines still in limited supply, and a focus on vaccine distribution across the globe, healthcare systems and others involved in administering vaccines are doing everything they can to protect their quotas, both to support the health of their communities and to avoid the negative publicity of an unnecessary loss. All of these factors point to the importance of effective, efficient temperature monitoring—so it is no wonder the CDC requires every vaccine storage unit to be equipped with a temperature monitoring device.
Crossing the Digital Divide for SDOH
Data exists that can help patients achieve better healthcare, but the industry itself must ensure that this data is available, accessible, and understood. Organizations and providers often have access to some of the data in question; the key, though, is connecting healthcare stakeholders and patients to complete information that enables informed decisions, which the industry has not yet perfected.
The Great Potential of Virtual Reality in Healthcare
Technologies such as VR open innovative paths to improve the well-being of patients, as well as help health professionals who need to quickly expand their knowledge to work in the various fields of health. Pain control and knowledge are key ingredients of this technological open door that is increasingly occupying more territory in hospital organizations.
Preventing Opioid Overprescribing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
We know that overdoses quickened their pace in 2020, according to the CDC. The CDC identified over 81,000 drug overdoses in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number ever in a 12-month period. And while those numbers were increasing prior to COVID-19, the latest data indicate the numbers accelerated further during the pandemic.
Healthcare and Cybersecurity in a Pandemic World
Changes in how medical care is provided has opened up a host of avenues for cyberattacks, with the rise of telehealth and more healthcare staff working remotely. But many of the challenges the industry faces are tied to problems that existed before the pandemic. Old systems, outdated policies, and unprotected Internet of Things (IoT) devices were issues healthcare facilities needed to address before the lockdown, and they’re still problems for many facilities today.
Integrating Communication for Better Patient Care—and Better Provider Experiences
Efficient communication and sharing of data are key to patient care improvements. The healthcare integration market is enormous—expected to hit $7.5 billion by 2026—and organizations are constantly on the lookout for better ways to collaborate securely to improve patient care.
Reducing Back-End Bottlenecks
Expanding the number of facilities able to vaccinate could work to close coverage gaps. An analysis from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and the nonprofit West Health Policy Center has found that several states may not have a sufficient number of healthcare facilities in some areas to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to all residents who want it.
New Cost to Paying Ransom on Cyberattacks
In a joint cybersecurity advisory issued in late 2020, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and HHS warned the healthcare and public health sector that they held “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” The organizations warned healthcare providers to take precautions to protect their networks against malware threats that could lead to ransomware attacks, data theft, and disruption of services.