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This is the first in a two-part series on preventing employees from harming patients intentionally. This month, we cover how to track deaths and improve communication with human resources. Next month, well give step-by-step instructions to prevent problem employees from being hired and tips for encouraging staff to share their concerns.
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Two things are certain: The Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations newly revised medication management standards will be a key area of focus during surveys, and complying with the new requirements will call for sweeping changes throughout your organization.
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If you were expecting cookie-cutter questions followed by rote responses during your next survey from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, think again. Instead, surveyors will arrive armed with detailed information that puts a spotlight on your biggest problem areas, according to accreditation experts interviewed by Hospital Peer Review.
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Hospitals seeking to make alcohol-based hand gels as accessible as possible have run into a firewall. Some state or local fire marshals have prohibited dispensers in corridors because of concerns about flammability.
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To improve hand hygiene among health care workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Health care workers only need to use the traditional soap and water if their hands are visibly soiled, according to the CDC.
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Confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China and the emergence of a new strain of avian flu in Vietnam set the public health world on edge and highlighted one important message for hospitals: Be prepared to encounter newly emerging diseases.
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TB, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), smallpox, monkeypox: Your respiratory protection program needs to take into account the different transmission characteristics of each agent.
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Hospitals are buying powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) and trimming the ranks of employees who potentially would use respirators as a way to cut down on fit-testing.
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According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), An effective [respiratory protection] program requires a systematic approach to evaluating workplace conditions, selecting the appropriate respirator, ensuring the respirator fits, and maintaining the respirator properly. Here are some provisions of the standard.
