The Joint Commission (TJC)
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TJC Healthcare Equity Certification Launches July 1
The accrediting organization joins the industry’s push to provide more equitable treatment and services.
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The Joint Commission Expands Sexual Assault Definition
The Joint Commission has revised its definition of a sexual abuse/assault of healthcare workers, clarifying and expanding it to include social media and related technology. The original definition was developed more than a decade ago, before the ubiquitous presence of social media and related technology.
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Active Shooters Gun Down Healthcare Workers
Violent attacks on healthcare workers in 2022 included a gunman who shot two physicians, a receptionist, and a visitor at Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, OK, on June 1. In addition to the long-documented physical assaults and verbal aggression, these incidents underscore the relatively rare but real risk to healthcare workers of an active shooter in the building.
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Predicting Violence in the Individual Patient
Is it possible to assess whether a patient is a risk for committing an act of violence? An occupational health consultant in Oregon thinks the evidence strongly supports the efficacy of patient assessment tools, and more hospitals should be using them.
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OSHA Violence Prevention Draft Reg Gathers Momentum
Making slow but steady progress on an intractable problem, OSHA is expected to issue a violence prevention draft standard for healthcare in 2023. The need for regulation is compelling, particularly since violence in healthcare is notoriously underreported.
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Wrong-Site Surgery Still a Problem, Requires Vigilance
Despite many years of intense education and attention to prevention efforts, wrong-site surgery is on the rise. Hospitals and health systems must make sure their wrong-site prevention efforts have not weakened.
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The Joint Commission Puts Providers on Notice Regarding Diagnostic Overshadowing
When patients present with existing diagnoses or disabilities, clinicians might attribute any symptoms to the existing condition. This is called diagnostic overshadowing, a type of cognitive bias that can cause unnecessary suffering, unsafe care, and adverse events related to missed or delayed diagnoses. Unfortunately, the problem occurs more often among groups already experiencing healthcare disparities.
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TJC Urges Caution About Cognitive Biases in Diagnostics
So-called “diagnostic overshadowing” can lead clinicians to miss the real causes of health problems.
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As Call to Address Disparities Grows Louder, Prescriptions for Improvement Emerge
Frontline providers see patients from disadvantaged communities present with problems that might have been prevented with earlier or better-quality care. However, recently suggested because of the hectic pace of busy EDs, emergency providers may be susceptible to letting bias seep into their decision-making. Thus, researchers contended it is important for emergency clinicians to be aware of potential biases and how they contribute to inequities.
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Youth Spend Days in EDs Waiting for Psychiatric Inpatient Care
Negative care outcomes, treatment delays, risk of injury (to patients, family, or staff), and poor satisfaction are undesirable outcomes resulting from boarding.