Hospital Employee Health – May 1, 2007
May 1, 2007
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Wake-up call: Are sleepy HCWs a danger to patients and themselves?
Reducing health care worker fatigue may be one of the most important measures you can take to improve patient safety, according to The Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations). -
Residency programs open eyes to sleep deprivation
Grueling schedules and sleep deprivation long have been hallmarks of medical residency. But with a growing number of studies linking sleep deprivation to medical errors and worker injuries, pressure is building to rethink the method of medical education. -
ADA may require lifts for injured RNs
If your hospital doesn't supply lift equipment to prevent back injuries, you may be purchasing them after injuries occur -- as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). -
OSHA may cite for failure to use rapid HIV testing
Hospitals face possible citation for failing to use a rapid HIV test after a bloodborne pathogen exposure, according to a letter of interpretation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. -
CA proposes biannual fit-testing for HCWs
Once again, a trendsetter in occupational health, California has created a draft standard on aerosol transmissible diseases that would allow biannual fit-testing of N95-filtering facepiece respirators until at least 2012 but would require the use of powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) during high-hazard procedures. -
Joint Commission studies hand hygiene compliance
The Joint Commission wants you to measure compliance with hand hygiene. But if you feel unsure about the best way to do that, you're not alone. -
Expect delays in flu vaccine delivery
If you were frustrated by the slow delivery of influenza vaccine last fall, public health officials have a message for you: Get used to it.