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As the nation's population ages, a growing number of registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and nurses' aides will be working in patients' homes rather than in hospitals. But many of them will be working without the basic safety devices that most nurses now take for granted, safety experts say.
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Editor's note: In this issue, we continue our special report on needle safety issues. Safety needles are now commonplace at hospitals around the country, but sharps injuries persist both from conventional and safety devices. The problem may lie in selection of the device, inadequate training or, as in the OR, in resistance to sharps safety advances.
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To keep young, vulnerable patients safe from a potentially life-threatening disease, the University of North Carolina Health Care in Chapel Hill requires employees to have a vaccine that protects against a respiratory illness.
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A proposed federal action plan is targeting influenza vaccination of health care workers, and occupational health physicians will be represented on the working group that is considering new recommendations including possible mandates.
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Some topics are obvious when it comes to using metrics, but using metrics to study the behavior of employees and physicians doesn't get as much attention, notes David G. Danielson, JD, CPA, senior vice president for clinical risk management with Sanford Health, a health care network based in Sioux Falls, SD
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A woman was admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. The woman was a high fall risk and eventually fell and fractured her nose and cut her forehead. The woman was fitted with an oxygen mask. Shortly thereafter, the electrocautery combined with oxygen from the mask, sparking a fire and leaving the woman with first and second degree burns. A jury returned a verdict of $1,215,000 in Michigan.
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An 88-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital after being found sitting outside her son's home, apparently confused. She was then transferred to a nursing facility, where she was diagnosed with altered levels of consciousness and inability to perform activities of daily living. The woman was again admitted to the hospital and fitted with a vest-restraint system.
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Consider the old adage, "garbage in, is garbage out." "This truly has a distinct meaning where upfront errors are concerned," says Jackie Mitchler, a revenue cycle analyst in the patient business services department at Affinity Health System in Menasha, WI.
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Will a completed registration be problem-free or result in a claims denial? The buck stops with the registrar.
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Were departmental goals achieved or exceeded? If so, employees will feel a sense of accomplishment for a job well done, says Joy Wright, a patient registration supervisor at Lodi (OH) Community Hospital.
