Final Hazardous Waste Pharmaceutical Rule Issued by EPA
Three years after it was proposed, the final rule, now entitled “Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals and Amendment to the P0875 Listing for Nicotine” will likely be published in the Federal Register by the end of this month and go into effect six months after its publication in the Register.
SHEA Issues Infection Control Guidance for Anesthesiology
Published in SHEA’s journal Infection Control & Healthcare Epidemiology, the guidance provides steps for improving infection prevention using increased hand hygiene, environmental disinfection, and continuous improvement plans.
IHI Releases Framework for Board Governance of Health System Quality
The framework and tool are designed to help the approximately 80,000 health system trustees in the U.S. navigate the complex world of overseeing quality.
Joint Commission Revises Suicide Prevention National Patient Safety Goal
The revised requirements are based on more than a year of research, public field review, and analysis with multiple panels convened by TJC and representing provider organizations, suicide prevention experts, behavioral facility design experts, and other key stakeholders.
The Leapfrog Group Names 2018 Top Hospitals
Of the 118 Top Hospitals recognized in 23 states and the District of Columbia, 13 were children’s hospitals, 35 were general hospitals, 53 were teaching hospitals and 17 were rural hospitals.
Time to Deprescribe? Protect Patients From Inappropriate Medications
Pharmacists can play a key role in helping physicians discontinue inappropriate medications among older adults, researchers wrote recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Improved Hand Hygiene Can Help Prevent Spread of Post-Surgical Infections
The researchers from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics identified and characterized the epidemiology of particularly pathogenic S. aureus sequence types in the OR.
Is Your Hospital Discharge Planning Failing Patients?
An estimated one in five hospitalized patients are discharged to post-acute care settings such as skilled nursing facilities or long-term care hospitals.
Nurse Stressors: It’s Not Just Patient Volume and Acuity
Researchers at The Ohio State University found that a nurse’s “subjective workload”—which could include everything from the mental pressures of the job to relentless time constraints—affects her or his ability to provide optimal care, no matter how many patients they’re attending.
Hazardous Pharmaceuticals Management Rule May Be Imminent
If published, the rule joins other new standards and regulations targeting employee and patient safety during the use and handling of hazardous pharmaceuticals. It’s also expected to have significant impact on hospitals and other healthcare organizations.