Hospital Employee Health
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Flu Immunization Rates Level Off in Healthcare Workers
While hospital rates remain high, flu immunization rates of healthcare workers overall have leveled off and remain particularly low in long-term care, the CDC reports.
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Patient Mobility Forum Founded
A new safe patient handling forum is now online for employee professionals to ask questions or share ideas and policies with colleagues and industry.
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Severe Flu Season in Australia Could Herald U.S. Woes
The annual attempt to match the seasonal influenza vaccine with mutating flu viruses always is a bit of a gamble, and this year is no different. In particular, the U.S. vaccine may not provide complete immunity to an H3N2 strain that has caused serious infections during the summer season in Australia.
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Evacuate: When Hurricane Sandy Forced HCWs to Flee
Five years ago Hurricane Sandy battered and inundated the Northeast, forcing the evacuation and shutdown of New York University’s Langone Medical Center in New York City. Hospital researchers recently published an analysis of how NYU nurses were affected by the event, suggesting planning strategies for hospitals affected by major storms and disasters.
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Employee Health Steps Up as Hurricanes Hit Hospitals
Employee health professionals hunkered down with their hospital colleagues recently as hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the contiguous United States and Hurricane Maria subsequently devastated Puerto Rico. While relief efforts were still underway in Puerto Rico as this issue went to press, Hospital Employee Health talked to employee health professionals who were on hospital duty in the path of Harvey and Irma.
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Under Pressure: Multiple Factors Driving Nurse Burnout
We frequently hear of rampant stress and resulting burnout in nurses. What causes it? Employee health professionals are well aware of the threats of occupational injury and illness, but other factors in the work environment require considerable resilience to withstand daily.
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Is Complacency Setting in on Sharps Injury Prevention?
Although incremental gains continue, needlestick and sharps injury prevention efforts overall have plateaued and there is a risk of complacency in healthcare settings due to the perceived diminished threat of the major bloodborne pathogens, according to an expert on the issue.
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NIOSH Looks to Expand Use of Elastomeric Respirators
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is seeking input to develop procedures for decontamination of reusable elastomeric respirators, which could be an important and sustainable resource in times of high PPE demand.
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Exposures to Opioid Patients Endanger Healthcare Workers
Citing the lack of national guidelines for nurses and other healthcare workers, National Nurses United is developing personal protective equipment recommendations to prevent opioid exposures.
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EPINet Issues Call to Action to Prevent HCW Exposures
The long-established needlestick surveillance system, EPINet, has issued a consensus statement and call to action to reduce unexpected exposures to blood and body fluids.