Infection Control
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The do’s and don’ts of using masks and N95s
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has created two new fact sheets that outline key points on proper use and wear of N95 respirators and procedure masks in non-surgical settings.
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OSHA issues new violence prevention strategies for healthcare
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently unveiled a new Web page with tools and real-world examples to prevent and defuse violent incidents in the healthcare workplace.
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Pediatric group on HCW flu shots: ‘Keep it mandatory’
The American Academy of Pediatrics has vigorously reiterated its call for mandatory influenza vaccination of healthcare workers, saying religious or philosophical objections to immunizations do not override the ethical imperative to protect patients and coworkers.
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Some ill doctors would still care for immune-compromised patients
In an unpublished study of physicians presented recently in San Diego at the 2015 IDWeek conference, researchers found that doctors are willing to work with symptoms and maladies that would debilitate most people.
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The sick treating the sick: HCWs pressured to work ill
Employee health professionals must work with clinical colleagues to develop clear, supportive policies that clarify when ill healthcare workers should take a sick day rather than expose vulnerable patients and co-workers, researchers recommend.
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Expert report: PPE changes, confusion preceded Dallas nurses’ Ebola infections
Healthcare workers trying to save a patient dying of Ebola last year at a Dallas hospital were confused and “lost confidence” trying to protect themselves with PPE guidelines that were in flux at that critical time, an expert investigative panel concluded.
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EPINet relaunch: New leadership, expanding mission to go beyond hepatitis, HIV exposures
The International Healthcare Worker Safety Center has made a dramatic transition to an independent non-profit center that is widening the net beyond bloodborne pathogens to include worker exposures to Clostridium difficile and MRSA.
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Healthcare workers on antibiotics at risk of Clostridium difficile
With C. diff at epidemic levels, workers may acquire the bug from patients if they take antibiotics that wipe out the commensal bacteria in the gut and open a path for the pathogen.
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Ebola, chronic PPE woes give OSHA momentum for infectious disease rule
Whether you are pro regulation or not, it is hard to imagine that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will find a better time than the present to issue its long-awaited infectious disease rule to protect healthcare workers.
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PPE use contaminates workers as training, compliance lax
Research spurred by the Ebola crisis continues to reveal that healthcare workers are poorly trained in the use of personal protective equipment, frequently contaminating themselves with pathogens that can endanger their personal health and subsequent patient contacts.