Hospital Employee Health
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With Presenteeism Rampant, CDC May Strengthen Occupational Health Guidelines
The issue of healthcare personnel working sick — and the policies that incentivize them to do so — was the subject of much discussion at a recent meeting of the CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee.
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Drug-Diverting Nurse Linked to Infected Patients
An ED nurse in Washington state who admitted to stealing opioids and other drugs intended for patients has been linked to hepatitis C virus infections in at least 12 people who sought care in the ED, the CDC reports.
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Attacks, HCW Deaths Undermine Ebola Response
Violent attacks on caregivers and other factors are contributing to the spread of Ebola virus in an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The number of healthcare workers infected has risen to 81, including 27 who have died of Ebola, the World Health Organization reports.
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AOHP Updating Ergonomics Guidance
The Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare is updating its guidance on ergonomics for new employee health professionals, emphasizing the basics while providing links to key resources.
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Hospital Staffing Disclosures Are Alternative to Ratio Laws
With states finding it difficult to pass nurse-patient staffing ratio mandates like the one in California, staffing disclosure laws in the name of transparency have emerged as something of a compromise.
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Eight in 10 Critical Care Nurses Report Abuses
A survey of 8,080 critical care nurses found that 86% experienced at least one incident of verbal or physical abuse, sexual harassment, or discrimination in the past year, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses reports.
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Chicago Hospitals Dramatically Reduce Needlesticks
While national trends show sharps injuries are increasing, a 10-hospital system in Chicago reduced needlesticks by 70% after implementing a passive device that requires no action by the worker to trigger protection.
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Tips to Reduce Needlesticks
A recent report on needlesticks and blood exposures to healthcare workers cited some of the approaches used by hospitals that were successfully preventing many of these incidents.
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Gains Against Sharps Injuries Stall as Needlesticks, Exposures Increase
Although there are individual success stories, overall needlesticks and mucocutaneous exposures to healthcare workers are on the rise, according to two leading surveillance groups.
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Personal Protective Equipment Doffing Errors, Contamination Still Common
Personal protective equipment doffing errors were common in a study of healthcare workers treating patients under contact isolation for multidrug-resistant organisms, researchers report. The study has implications for worker safety as well, as the type of doffing errors described could lead to occupational infections with much more dangerous pathogens like Ebola.