Battling alarm fatigue for improved patient care and safety
By: Jordan Rosenfeld Medical alarms are meant to alert medical staff when a patient’s condition requires immediate attention. Unfortunately, there are so many false alarms — they’re false as much as 72% to 99% percent of the time — that they lead to alarm fatigue in nurses and other healthcare professionals. One study found that … Continued
Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
Pests commonly seek places of warmth, with food, moisture, and shelter—and shared laundry facilities offer each of these draws. Because of this, pest management professionals are taking note and encouraging facility managers and staff to do the same.
Two New Protocols for Respirator Fit Testing from OSHA
The new protocols are variations of an existing OSHA-approved method, the ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter (CNC) quantitative fit testing protocol, often referred to as the “PortaCount® protocol.”
When Parents Bring Children to Appointments, Does Treatment Suffer?
The researchers found that for 70% of doctor’s visits, patients came with their kids. This occurred far more frequently for scheduled appointments than emergency visits. Parents quickly lost their focus on the primary task, while caregivers became distracted by repeated interruptions.
Disposal of Sharps: Can You Leave Them in the Bin for Central Accumulation?
We do not know of any regulations that would prohibit moving red biohazard bins containing sharps to a RCRA hazardous waste central accumulation area, provided the generator of the sharps is in compliance with the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) and any applicable state regulations addressing medical waste and hazardous waste.
Info Exchange Helps Prepare and Guide Hospitals for Taxing Patient Surges
Developed by HHS and a division of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) aims to provide information and technical assistance to regional ASPR staff, healthcare coalitions, hospitals, and other public health emergency preparedness agencies.
Does Your Healthcare Facility Have Water Intrusion?
Whether visible or hidden, and regardless of the age of the facility, water and water vapor can cause fungal growth and deterioration of building components, along with physical symptoms in people. Finding the cause of water intrusion and fixing it correctly makes the difference in providing healthcare consumers with the safe environments they expect.
Lessons Learned From a Death Outside a Hospital’s Doorstep
DeMarco’s refusal to accept the hospital’s silence, a desire for accountability, and ultimately a simple request for the hospital’s administration to sit down with him and apologize for the mistakes made were enough to make the hospital change its ways.
Crisis Communication: 10 Tips for Hospitals to Prepare for a Disaster
Several hospital leaders with firsthand experience in crisis management shared insights on how to address communication issues—a core element of emergency preparedness—in a discussion I moderated at the annual Voalte User Experience conference.
CMS Memo Emphasizes Revisions on Portable Generators, Emerging Infections
Most of the revisions outlined in the updates to Appendix Z focus on emergency power. However, the initial emphasis in the memo introducing the changes is on CMS’ concerns about adding “emerging infectious diseases” to the current definition of the all-hazards approach to planning