Hospitals Scramble to Prioritize Which Workers Are First for COVID Shots
Even as the federal Food and Drug Administration engaged in intense deliberations ahead of Friday’s authorization of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID vaccine, and days before the initial 6.4 million doses were to be released, hospitals across the country have been grappling with how to distribute the first scarce shots.
EVS Training and Certification are Essential to Healthcare’s Mission
By: Hagan Kappler Modern healthcare is based on two important principles originally ascribed to Hippocrates: help the sick and abstain from doing harm. Physicians are sworn to these ideals. Nurses and others in healthcare promise the same. These goals are certainly true for Environmental Services directors and staff. They serve on the frontline of infection … Continued
Discuss Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations Carefully
May an employer covered by the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 compel all of its employees to take the influenza vaccine regardless of their medical conditions or their religious beliefs during a pandemic? Quick answer: No.
Dr. Fauci Addresses Vaccination Rollout, Masking Challenges, At-Home Testing
As the FDA reviews the emergency use authorization requests from both Pfizer and Moderna for their respective potential vaccines, Fauci urged the public to trust the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Interoperability Is Delayed Again, Keeping Clinicians in Limbo
Physicians have become all too familiar with the inefficiencies of EHRs; they hinder decision-making, decrease productivity, and are a leading cause of physician burnout, according to numerous surveys and studies. Burnout is a recognized threat to patient safety and care quality, and one of the most important reasons that healthcare leaders can no longer accept perpetual delays that are forcing clinicians to continue using inefficient systems.
Bad Medicine: Drug Overdoses Are Rising, and So Is Drug Diversion in Healthcare Settings
With recent increases in drug overdose deaths in more than 40 states stemming from COVID-19, combined with potential disruption to the pharmaceutical supply chain, it’s not a leap to see that the healthcare industry is facing incredible risks related to drug diversion.
IHI CEO Emphasizes Need for ‘Curb Cut Solutions’ to Patient Safety Issues
Mate, who was named the organization’s CEO in June, said the search for ways to build a better healthcare system should embrace the concept of targeted universalism, which is an inclusive way to implement interventions. A prime example of targeted universalism is the curb cut, which was initially created to provide public streets accessible to wheelchair users, but now benefits a wide variety of people for various reasons.
Assessing and Addressing Interprofessional Teamwork in Hospitals
The recent research article, which was published by The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, is based on data collected from four U.S. hospitals that were participating in the Redesigning Systems to Improve Teamwork and Quality for Hospitalized Patients project. The project is crafted to establish and spread care models that increase interprofessional teamwork and improve outcomes for hospitalized patients.
Virtual Hospital Expands Inpatient Capacity During Coronavirus Pandemic
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Atrium Health features 50 hospitals and other healthcare facilities in three states. The health system launched a virtual hospital at home program for COVID-19 patients in March and recently published a study about the initiative in Annals of Internal Medicine.
PSMF Renews Efforts to Improve Patient Safety in Hospitals
Patient Safety Movement was founded in 2012 with the goal of eliminating preventable patient deaths by 2020. While it fell short of that goal, the group says its hospital and health system partners saved 366,353 lives during 2012-2020 by improving processes. Still, there is much more to be done.