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Influenza had a major impact on the nations hospitals this season, filling up intensive care units and leading to staff shortages. The hardship caused by influenza has added vigor to campaigns to improve vaccination of health care workers.
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A firestorm over fit-testing has spilled over to another agency, derailing the release of draft tuberculosis guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If CDC recommends periodic fit-testing, will that be interpreted as annual fit-testing? If the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires annual fit-testing, should the TB guidelines be consistent with that?
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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.
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New infection control standards by the Joint Com-mission describe a widely supported and collaborative program that represents one of a hospitals top priorities.
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Despite an infusion of federal money, states are not substantially better prepared to respond to bioterrorism, according to a report by the Trust for Americas Health in Washington, DC.
