National Guidelines, Quality Measures Clearinghouses Shutting Down
Both online clearinghouses will go dark after July 16 as federal funding runs out. Neither site is accepting new guidelines or quality measure sets in anticipation of shutting the databases down.
Joint Commission Appoints New Director of Infection Prevention and Control
According to a Joint Commission release, she has worked for more than 30 years in infection prevention and control in hospitals and long-term care facilities, along with eight years of clinical microbiology experience. Recently, Garcia-Houchins was director of infection control at the University of Chicago Medicine and was a consultant for Joint Commission Resources.
Report: Insect Infestation Problem Forces VA Hospital to Delay Surgeries
The television station conducted a hidden-camera investigation and discovered that the hospital installed at least 200 fly traps to deal with an infestation of phorid flies in operating rooms, dating back to 2016.
Study Finds Overworked Nurses Can Lead to 40% Increase in Patient Death Risk
When the workload was above the optimal level, the study found the risk of a patient safety incident grew by 8% to 32%, while the risk of patient mortality increased by 43%.
Task Force Weighs in on Bouffant Hat vs. Skull Cap Debate
The task force wrote in a joint statement: “Over the past two years, as recommendations were implemented, it became increasingly apparent that in practice, covering the ears is not practical for surgeons and anesthesiologists and in many cases counterproductive to their ability to perform optimally in the OR.”
Colorado Nurses Face Jail Time After Pleading Guilty to Drug Thefts
Lisa Marie Jones, 43, was sentenced last Friday to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to thefts of fentanyl, morphine, and hydromorphone from Denver’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center and UCHealth in Aurora in 2016 and 2017. Marlene Gilmore, 28, was given a four-month prison term after pleading guilty on April 20 to stealing the same drugs in 2016 from North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.
Study Calls for New Look at Hospital Readmissions
Published in Annals of Internal Medicine this week, the study led by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center looked at readmission records for 822 patients treated at 10 academic medical centers in the U.S.
New NFPA Standard Focuses on Responding to Active-Shooter Incidents
Designed as a roadmap for the multidisciplinary response needed in the aftermath of an active-shooter incident, there is a separate chapter for “Hospital Preparedness and Response for Out-of-Hospital ASHER Incidents.” The chapter outlines minimum expectations for hospitals in preparing for, reacting to, and receiving patients from an active-shooter event in the area.
Washington State Hospital Warns Patients of Possible Hep C Exposure
According to the Tacoma News Tribune, MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Wash., is notifying patients treated in its emergency room from August 4, 2017 to March 23, 2018 of the potential exposure and advising them to get tested.
Study: 71% of Reusable Scopes Tested Positive for Bacteria
The study found problems in scopes used for routine operations such as colonoscopies and kidney stone removal.