Survey Time: Check Your Ice Machine Outlets, Brush Up on IC, Staff Safety
The Joint Commission (TJC) is still catching up on the surveys backlogged during the COVID-19 pandemic—but they are catching up. Be aware that you might soon be getting a notice that your survey is scheduled, although you still won’t be told an exact date because CMS requires the visits to be unannounced.
IAHSS Releases Updated Healthcare Use-of-Force Guidelines
Use of force in healthcare environments involves a variety of circumstances, including patient restraint, patient elopement, involuntary commitment, criminal incidents, and other situations, according to IAHSS officials. Naturally, healthcare security officers, whether proprietary, contracted, or law enforcement, are frequently called upon to intervene in these difficult circumstances, IAHSS officials reported.
Monkeypox: CDC Updates Guidance for Medical Waste Handling
The CDC has updated its guidance on infection control of monkeypox for healthcare settings, reminding providers that any case suspected of being of the more deadly Congo Basin clade requires more extensive precautions, including the handling of hazardous medical waste.
Transform911 Unveils Recommendations to Improve Nation’s Emergency Response Network
Transform911, an initiative launched in 2021 with more than $1 million in funding, led by the University of Chicago Health Lab and comprised of more than 100 stakeholders, has unveiled six key recommendations, the result of 18 months of meetings and research into the 54-year-old emergency response network.
Investments in Hospital Security Are Top of Mind Following Mass Shootings
Increasing security measures at hospitals can come with significant financial and logistical challenges, but there are actionable steps and investments healthcare leaders can take to ensure the safety of the staff and patients within their organizations.
Healthcare Worker Wellness and the Surprising Impact of Flooring
The topic of ergonomics as related to flooring should be comprehensively defined to include comfort, fatigue, musculoskeletal strain, and injury and emotional stress created by noise in the interior environment. Each factor contributes to or detracts from the general well-being of patients, residents, and staff.
Insight in Preparedness for Healthcare Facilities
Here, we will analyze several of the key drivers of hospital/medical facility planning and design required to meet future needs—including the need for energy efficiency, an understanding of available redundancy, and a comparison of first costs versus life cycle costs.
Airborne Contamination Insights From the Pandemic and Strategies to Optimize Efficiency
By Jennifer Wagner, PhD, CIC, and Damon G. Greeley, PE, CEM, HFDP, CBCP, EDAC, CHFM, A-IPC As more people are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, many would like to resume their routine medical appointments and elective surgeries. Research indicates that airborne transmission of aerosolized droplets may be a significant factor for the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 … Continued
Report: Building a Smarter Healthcare Facility
A new report from Honeywell gives healthcare facility managers a chance to voice their thoughts and concerns after more than a year of weathering the pandemic. The report found that 94% of healthcare managers said remote management is important for operational efficiency. Only one in four respondents have such a system in place, but 26% said they plan on investing in this technology over the next year to 18 months.
Hurricane Ida Illustrates Need for Plans Within Emergency Plans
Most hospitals in Louisiana were forced to shelter in place as category 4 Hurricane Ida swept in from the Gulf of Mexico Sunday, August 29, because there was no place to go with evacuated patients as another COVID-19 surge filled normally available facilities to capacity, according to several media reports.