AAMI Announces Newly Updated Standard on Endoscope Cleaning
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) just announced the release of an updated version of ANSI/AAMI ST91:2021 Flexible and semi-rigid endoscope processing in health care facilities. The last version of the standard formulated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and AAMI was released in 2015.
OSHA Ups Inspections at Healthcare Facilities Treating COVID Patients
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced an enforcement memorandum for a short-term increase in highly focused inspections directed at hospitals and skilled nursing care facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.
Maryland Physician Compensation Survey Finds Gaping Gender Pay Gap
Earlier research has shown a pervasive gender pay gap in U.S. physician compensation. A study published in December showed that through a simulated 40-year career, male physicians earn an average adjusted gross income that is about $2 million higher than female physicians.
Online Reviews Reveal Patterns of Discrimination in Hospital Setting
Earlier research has shown that discrimination based on minority patients’ race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability generates worse health outcomes. The co-authors of the recently published research article found that Yelp online reviews provide insight into discrimination in the hospital setting that cannot be gleaned from traditional healthcare performance measures such as Hospital Compare.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 48 – Why Hospitals Should Disclose Medical Errors
On episode 48 of PSQH: The Podcast, Rick Boothman, a strategic consultant at Press Ganey, talks about why hospitals should disclose medical errors.
Nurses Challenge CDC’s Latest COVID-19 Safety Rollback
The CDC’s new framework recommends mask-wearing only for those in counties deemed to have a “high” level of COVID-19, which numbers about 28% of the American population. Community levels by county can be found on the CDC website and are color-coded to denote high, medium, and low risk of COVID.
Mobile Patient Engagement: New Ideas Sometimes Clash With Old Technology
The patient engagement—or patient experience—landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, in part due to the challenges imposed by the pandemic but also because of the shift to patient-centered healthcare, a philosophy that’s been around for about a decade.
Welcome to the Nurse Executive’s COVID-19 World: Staffing Shortages, Stress, and a Struggle for Support
Nearly 75% of hospital and 64% of health system-based chief nurse executives (CNEs) are “stressed, dissatisfied, or intend to leave their role,” with staffing as the top challenge as CNEs lead their nurses through the interminable COVID-19 pandemic, reveals a unique recent study by HealthLeaders Exchange.
RNs are Leaving Direct Care at Highly Elevated Rates
While staffing shortages aren’t a new concern for healthcare executives, it took the No. 1 spot last year as the top issue that hospital CEOs faced in 2021, according to The American College of Healthcare Executives’ (ACHE) annual survey.
Healthcare Workforce Rescue Package Targets Well-Being During Pandemic
Healthcare worker burnout was significant before the pandemic and it has reached crisis proportions, according to national healthcare worker well-being expert Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, APRN-CNP, chief wellness officer of The Ohio State University and dean of the university’s College of Nursing. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare worker burnout rates ranged from 30% to 50%; now, burnout rates range from 40% to 70%, Melnyk says.