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Safe lift programs save money, and they save more if they are comprehensive and have leadership support. That finding from a new study of workers' compensation and lift-related injuries in long-term care provides a strong, new underpinning for the financial benefits of safe patient handling.
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As the health care workforce ages, the severity of work-related injuries is increasing, requiring new strategies for protecting workers. At the top of the list: Preventing falls, which are already the second most common cause of reportable injury in hospitals.
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) briefly reopened the comment period on the proposed rule to record work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The comments came from May 17 to June 16, about a month after two teleconferences focused on concerns of small businesses.
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Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common form of hospital-acquired infections, accounting for as many as 80% of HAIs in acute care settings.
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If you talk about giving patients a voice in how a hospital works and care is delivered, you will see many providers and administrators blanch with fear.
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The National Strategy for Quality, released to Congress at the end of March, is just the first iteration of reports required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to outline priorities and areas of focus for healthcare.
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A patient safety initiative in Ohio has led to health care savings of nearly $13 million, reduced patient days spent in the hospital by 900, and resulted in nearly 3,600 fewer adverse drug events and infections in children.
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To address the issues of health literacy, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, OH, made a radical move. It abolished its patient education committee and formed the Health Literacy Institute that consists of an interdisciplinary team of caregivers who are dedicated to improving health literacy through better communication.
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Many healthcare institutions are using the seven goals stated in the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy developed by the Department of Health and Human Services to guide health literacy initiatives. The goals include:
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The topic of health literacy can be daunting, as there are many factors to address and it impacts the culture of an institution. It is difficult to know how to get your arms around the issue, says Becky Smith, RN, MA, manager of the Section of Patient Education at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
