AHRQ Report Finds Gaps in Evidence for Best Ways to Clean Hospital Rooms
A new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reviews clinical studies examining methods for cleaning and disinfecting hospital rooms to prevent healthcare-associated infections. The literature reviewed also covered strategies for monitoring rooms for cleanliness and “contextual” factors, such as organizational culture, that influence implementation and effectiveness of room cleaning. The … Continued
AHA Recognizes Hospitals with the Equity of Care Award
Grants & Awards Award honors hospitals for promoting diversity, reducing health disparities. Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, are both winners of the American Hospital Association’s second annual Equity of Care Award. The AHA award recognizes hospitals for their efforts to reduce healthcare … Continued
ANA Panel Aims to Prevent Violence, Bullying in Healthcare Facilities
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has convened a panel of experts to make recommendations on preventing and reducing workplace violence, bullying, and incivility, behaviors identified by research as particular problems in healthcare settings.
Strengthen Your Resolve: No Unlabeled Containers Anywhere, Ever!
Just when you think you’ve made significant headway with a persistent unsafe practice, an error creeps up, and disappointment sets in. The error serves to remind you just how vulnerable patients are to human error, and to expose the fact that strategies you may have thought were in place to prevent the error are either ineffective or not implemented in all areas of the organization.
Update Clinical Communication Strategy, Not Just the BYOD Policy
Step into most healthcare facilities and you will notice that while community physicians are openly using their smartphones, employed clinicians are carrying voice-only phones, multiple pagers, or wearable voice-activated two-way communication devices provided by their employers. Hospitals report that 67% of nurses use their personal smartphones for clinical communications, while 89% of hospitals say they do not allow nurses to use them during their work shift (Spyglass Consulting Group, 2014).
Incident Reporting
Recent features, columns and news articles on incident reporting from Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare:
Nebraska Methodist Hospital Uses Bacteria-Resistant Curtains to Protect Fabrics Around Patients
Nebraska Methodist Hospital has chosen X-STATIC® Antimicrobial Technology to elevate its standard of care for fabrics in the healthcare environment.
Purell ES Everywhere Offers Versatile Hand Sanitizing Option
GOJO, the inventor of Purell® Advanced Hand Sanitizer and the leading global producer and marketer of skin health and hygiene solutions for away-from-home settings, has introduced its latest innovation, the Purell ES™ Everywhere System.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Reduces Alarm Fatigue, Increases Caregiver Compliance
The sound of monitor alarms in hospitals can save patients’ lives, but the frequency with which the monitors go off can also lead to “alarm fatigue,” in which caregivers become desensitized to the ubiquitous beeping.
Medical Recliners Help Healthcare Providers with New Care Act Requirements
Sometimes a chair is much more than a chair. Champion Manufacturing’s recliners have acquired added value for healthcare providers as they try to meet new standards of patient care created by the Affordable Care Act.