Nurses Report Gaps in Quality and Safety Competencies Based on Education
The study found there is a growing gap in preparedness in quality and safety competencies between new nurses with associate and bachelor’s degrees. Nurses with BSN degrees report they are “very prepared” in more quality and safety measures than their ADN peers.
Survey: Hospitals Shift Resources to Respond to Opioid Crisis
The survey of more than 90 Vizient hospital and health system leaders found that 64% of hospitals have increased investment in opioid medication management in the last 12 months.
Joint Commission Unveils New Emergency Management Checklist
The checklist aligns with the accreditor’s Emergency Management standards, covers both clinical and environmental issues, and addresses crucial post-disaster elements that need addressing before reopening.
Patient Outcomes No Better For Joint Commission–Accredited Hospitals Than Peers
Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health compared 4,400 hospitals across the United States, of which 3,337 were accredited, including 2,847 by The Joint Commission, and 1,063 hospitals that underwent state-based reviews between 2014 and 2017.
Study: Hospital Bedsheets Could Be Source of C. difficile Contamination
Researchers in the United Kingdom found that washing contaminated hospital bedsheets in a commercial washing machine with industrial detergent at high disinfecting temperatures failed to remove all traces of C. difficile, a bacteria that causes infectious diarrhea.
Two Florida Hospitals Evacuate All Patients After Hurricane Damage
Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City is evacuating more than 200 patients, while Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center in Panama City released a statement Thursday that it was evacuating about 130 patients.
How to Avoid Medication Errors in Hospitals
The guidelines, which are targeted at health system and hospital settings, are designed to give pharmacists ground rules and best practices to improve patient safety and avoid medication errors.
Increased CMS Oversight Puts Pressure on AOs to Spot Problems
In a new report to Congress, CMS says the disparity rate between serious problems identified by the AOs and those found by CMS surveyors within 60 days of survey was 46% in fiscal year 2016, up from 38% and 39%, respectively, in the two preceding fiscal years.
CMS to Increase Oversight of Accreditation Organizations
CMS wants to put a stronger spotlight on times when The Joint Commission and other accreditation organzations fail to find patient safety problems later discovered by CMS survey teams conducting performance checks referred to as validation surveys.
Assaults Against ER Physicians and Staff Rising
In a survey conducted for the American College of Emergency Physicians, a majority of the 3,539 doctors polled said they had been the victims of workplace violence recently.