Study Spotlights Common Infection Transmission Mistakes Made by Hospitals
The study looked at 325 patient rooms with precaution signage and found a variety of failures in infectious agent transmission precaution practices.
5 Ways Nurses Can Improve Patient Mobility
To ensure patients were getting the ambulation they needed to achieve optimal outcomes, the hospital revamped its mobility program, including creation of a designated mobility team.
Flu Vaccine Programs For Providers: Making It Legal, Effective, and Mandatory
Many healthcare workers already understand that getting a flu shot every fall helps protect not only themselves, but also coworkers, friends and family, and of course patients. Others, however, will require more than a reminder of the 2017–2018 flu season, which was the worst in nearly a decade, to go get vaccinated for the flu.
New CMS Ligature Risk Guidance Refers to TJC Recommendations
For now, assess your hospital’s environmental compliance against The Joint Commission’s recommendations, regardless of what organization you might use for accreditation, and be prepared to provide one-to-one observation of at-risk patients if you cannot provide a ligature-resistant environment, says one safety consultant.
CMS Reverses Plan to Cut Reporting of HAIs
A new rule, published last week, restores reporting of data through the Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, including infection rates of Clostridium difficile, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and post-surgery sepsis.
ECRI Report Details How IT Can Reduce Testing and Med Errors
Health IT Safe Practices for Closing the Loop was put together by a Partnership-convened work group that sought to address safety issues related to tracking diagnostic tests and medication changes.
FDA: Only You Can Prevent Surgery Fires
The alert is targeted at healthcare professionals involved in surgical procedures—such as surgeons, surgical technicians, anesthesiologists, anesthesiologist assistants, certified registered nurse anesthetists, physician assistants, and nurses—and staff responsible for patient safety and risk management.
New York’s Pediatric Sepsis Protocol Lessens Death Risk 40%
When clinical sepsis protocols mandated by New York State are followed within an hour of detection, the odds of death fall 40%, according to an analysis conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Agitated Patients Face Wide-Ranging Risks in Emergency Departments
The researchers, who published their study this month in Annals of Emergency Medicine, screened 43,838 ER patients and found 1,146 (2.6%) were in an agitated state.
Survey: 36% of Facilities Struggle to Meet TJC MRI Standards
The standards, which are in effect for hospital and ambulatory care programs, require that MRI facilities should collect data on incidents where ferromagnetic objects unintentionally entered the MRI scanner room and injuries resulting from the presence of ferromagnetic objects in the scanner room.