Hospital Employee Health – July 1, 2014
July 1, 2014
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Communication critical in tracking down HCWs exposed to MERS
With health care workers in the bulls eye of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), hospitals preparedness was recently tested by the first two U.S. cases in Indiana and Florida. The real-world situation revealed one critical element of a response plan: Communication. -
Will ACA lead to lead to safer lifts?
Safe patient handling may become an imperative in the nations hospitals not because of any proposed legislation or regulation, but because of rising financial pressures related to both patient safety and workers compensation. -
Myth busters: Drug abuse no different in HCWs
Common wisdom suggests the drug-addicted doctor is different from the drug-addicted sales rep or homeless person. -
Controlling risks of HCW drug diversion
Hospitals increasingly are teaching managers to look for signs of drug abuse among employees, focusing on subtle clues like talk of financial problems or more blatant signs, such as arriving to work late or failing to show up as scheduled. -
Providing treatment for addicted HCWs
Health care systems handle cases of employee substance abuse in a variety of ways from punitive measures to providing treatment and long follow-up care and monitoring. -
Hold the salt: Hospitals seek sodium reduction
In patient rooms, doctors are prescribing a low-sodium diet to improve health. But in hospital cafeterias, employees and visitors may be loading up on salty and processed food. -
VHA leading the way to respirator comfort
After years of development, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has created a respiratory protection device prototype that is expected to improve health care workers comfort and tolerance when wearing these devices. -
Standardized EHR language needed
Standardized language in health care is not yet universal, which can cause problems when implementing electronic health records (EHRs) in an employee health setting.