Hospital Employee Health – October 1, 2009

October 1, 2009

• The thin white line: H1N1 flu threatens hospital work force

  As waves of novel H1N1 influenza swept communities across the country, hospitals struggled to avoid the potential impact of infected health care workers: Absenteeism, short-staffed units, and severe illness.

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• Surgical masks not effective, study shows

  Surgical masks do not provide protection from aerosolized viral particles, respiratory protection experts told an Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel that was considering personal protective equipment and novel H1N1.

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• NY requires HCWs to get flu shots

  Health care workers in New York hospitals are all rolling up their sleeves this fall for the flu vaccine. It's no longer a choice. It's a mandate.

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• ACOEM: Wellness at work belongs in HC reform

  All the shouting (Death panels! Rationing!) has gotten the press attention in health care reform. But in the behind-the-scenes effort to create a new paradigm, occupational health physicians have promoted prevention, workplace- based wellness, and the link between workplace health and productivity.

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• Making the OR a (back) pain-free zone

  The operating room poses unique challenges for patient handling.

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• OSHA issues guide on ethylene oxide

  A new guide from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration answers a myriad of questions about monitoring workspaces where ethylene oxide (EtO) is used.

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• OSHA: No abbreviated Bitrex fit-test

  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has decided against a streamlined Bitrex protocol that would have made fit-testing faster.

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• Wellness incentives fine; no penalties for opt-outs

  Hospitals are boosting incentives for wellness programs, with the hopes that healthier employees will have lower medical claims and better productivity.

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