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Amid increasing sensational press exposés and consumer advocates demanding release of hospital infection rates, comes this cold truth from a leading public health official: Health care-associated infections are fraught with so many variables that epidemiologists dont really know how many occur and how many can be prevented.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued this guidance related to avian influenza. Its recommendations are based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
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When the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revoked the TB-specific respirator standard Dec. 31, 2003, hospitals began scrambling to make sure they comply with the General Industry Respiratory Protection Standard (1910.134).
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Underscoring the importance of its new infection control standards for 2005, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has decided to roll out the new requirements on a consultative basis for hospitals being surveyed from July to December of this year.
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While much attention has been paid to new hospital infection control standards for 2005, the Joint Commission also is adopting similar standards in long-term care facilities.
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The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF) are accepting applications for the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Awards, which recognize individuals and health care organizations that are making significant contributions to improving patient safety.
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Reliability is the most important performance criteria for phlebotomy devices, but everything from patient care to comfort with the technique influences preferences of frontline users, according to a survey of health care workers by the Safety Institute of Premier Inc., an alliance of hospitals and health systems based in Oak Brook, IL.
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Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, hasnt vaccinated a single health care worker against smallpox. Yet the hospital is well-prepared for a possible smallpox event with a plan that would allow vaccination of 5,600 employees in a three-day period.
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A Toronto nurse who contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has sued the city, provincial, and federal governments, asserting that the public health authorities halted precautions too soon and put political considerations above health and safety concerns.
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