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With low-protein, powder-free latex gloves available, has the issue of latex allergy been resolved? For some hospitals, changes in products have reduced new employee sensitivities almost to zero. Other hospitals are still seeking alternatives to latex to create a latex-safe environment.
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California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have made his state the first in the country to require hospitals to use lift teams. The state legislature passed a bill requiring hospitals to adopt a zero-lift policy by using specially trained lift teams and lift equipment for patient handling.
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After weathering three major hurricanes in just over 30 days, case managers in Florida hospitals have some advice for their counterparts in other parts of the country: Plan ahead and be flexible.
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Almost as soon as Homestead (FL) Hospital implemented an integrated model of case management, patient satisfaction scores went up and lengths of stay started to decline.
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Health care providers routinely discuss confidential patient information in hospital hallways, cafeterias, and lobbies, two researchers have concluded. Hospital staff need to be more aware and more careful about discussing protected patient information out in the open, says Marifran Mattson, PhD, associate professor of communications at Purdue.
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Early this summer, several factors brought renewed attention to the possibility of terrorist attacks and appropriate responses on the part of the health care profession. To help prepare for an effective response for such an event, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a tool to help state and local officials quickly locate alternate health care sites if hospitals are overwhelmed by patients due to a bioterrorism attack or other public health emergency.
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A physician-specific case management program provides continuity of care for patients and creates a close working relationship between case managers and physicians at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia. The hospital made the decision several years ago to assign case managers (known as care coordinators) and social workers by physician.
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The wound care center at Presbyterian Hospital of Plano (TX) takes a holistic approach to patient care by assigning each patient to one nurse who provides hands-on care and case management. The case management piece is unusual in the outpatient setting. The outpatient wound care case management program has paid off in outcomes that have improved steadily.
