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One area of this column I really enjoy is the questions I receive from readers. Some months, I receive 80-120 e-mails. This month, I went back over the past six months and pulled up some of my favorites.
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Is your respiratory program ready for an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection? As of July 2, an OSHA inspector can ask about your use of respirators to protect against tuberculosis and when you last fit-tested health care workers who are caring for TB patients.
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Chemotherapeutic agents are colorless, odorless, and hazardous. How do you know if your employees have been exposed as they prepare or administer the drugs or clean in contaminated areas?
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Barb Maxwell, RN, MHA, COHN-S, CCM, CWCP, and her colleagues had braced themselves for the new survey process of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). They knew they had to be ready for the unexpected.
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Red rules have earned Sentara Norfolk (VA) General Hospital a golden award. The hospital won the American Hospital Quest for Quality Prize from the American Hospital Association for creating an institutionwide cultural transformation with a commitment to safety. The prize: $75,000.
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You cant manage workers compensation costs if you cant track those costs. That basic truth led OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria to rethink its system, beginning with the first report of a work-related injury.
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CDC: Mismatched flu vaccine still effective
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As researchers discover more genetic links to diseases, newer and more accurate diagnostic and screening tests are making their way to the market. But with an increasing array of tests out there, it is becoming more difficult for providers to determine which screening and diagnostic tests will offer tangible benefits to patients and which will most likely cost them and their insurers vast amounts of money and raise more questions than answers.
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The Georgia Hospital Association, with support from a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has developed a film to instruct health care professionals on the art of disclosing medical errors and unanticipated outcomes to patients and family members.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has another message about respiratory protection in hospitals: Think beyond infectious diseases.
