Infection Control
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Many HCWs in Long-Term Care Skip Flu Shots
Immunization rates for healthcare workers in long-term care were at a meager 69% last flu season — and that was an improvement.
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Surgical Group Calls for No Scrubs Beyond the Hospital
In the name of patient safety, we have heard calls for “bare below the elbows” care in hospital wards, and now the American College of Surgeons is strongly urging surgical workers to drop the common practice of wearing scrubs in public.
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Respirator and Surgical Mask Myths and Controversies
As part of its recent annual N95 Day respirator activities, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health sought to bust several myths about respiratory protection, including the misconception that “respirators and surgical masks provide the same type and level of protection for the user.”
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Hospital Employees Living with Diabetes
Beyond the numbers on the debilitating effects of diabetes on healthcare workers, there are personal stories of success that may inspire others to join wellness programs.
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Wellness Programs can Improve Health, Reduce Cost for HCWs with Diabetes
Diabetes in healthcare workers is a major driver of medical insurance costs, as the chronic blood sugar disorder can set off a range of health problems and increase risk of stroke and heart disease.
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OSHA Focus on Safe Patient Handling
While there is a general consensus that safe patient handling programs nationally suffer from a lack of implementation and enforcement, employee health professionals should be aware that OSHA is taking a close look at the issue when they inspect healthcare facilities.
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Compressed Work Shifts Put Nurses at Risk
Nurses appear to be at higher risk of injury as they suffer a kind of cumulative fatigue and diminishment in balance and reactions working “compressed” shifts, researchers report.
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Colorado Drug Diversion Law Requires Fingerprints
After a series of highly publicized drug diversion incidents by healthcare workers in Colorado in recent years, the state passed a law that requires surgical technologists to register and submit to a background check.
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Mayo Clinic Reaching Out to Physicians in Peril
As an aging population of physicians approaches a demographic cliff that may cause a shortage of medical doctors, there is renewed interest in prolonging and safeguarding the careers of those in the healing profession.
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Zika Riddle: Did Virus Spread to Caregiver?
A dying patient in Utah with a staggering level of circulating Zika virus apparently infected a family caregiver in what may be the first case of non-sexual person-to-person transmission of the emerging virus.