Waiting Room Safety: Infection, Furniture, and Power Outlets
Cleaning and keeping a healthcare waiting room safe for patients is a difficult task, says Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHS, a former Joint Commission executive and CEO of Patton Healthcare Consulting. Many elements need to be considered: furniture, electrical outlets, sanitizer dispensers, toys, and high-touch objects. And unlike patient rooms, there’s no turnover time between people where the space can be cleaned or checked.
Survey: Emergency Preparedness Training Needed for Nurses
In a survey of nearly 200 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, respondents scored highest when asked about triage and basic first aid competence—43% provided a positive response, meaning they were familiar or very familiar with the topic.
Been Through a Disaster? There is Help for Recovery
If you are affiliated with a state, tribal, territorial or local government operation, or are a non-profit providing critical healthcare services in a declared disaster area, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a public assistance program ready to help.
FGI Seeks Public Comment on 2022 Update to Guidelines for Design and Construction
The guidelines got their start more than 70 years ago as a federal-private venture to set building standards for the nation’s hospitals being built across the continent under the post-World War II Hill-Burton program. Publishing of the guidelines is now administered under the American Society for Healthcare Engineering.
Safety First: Five Steps to Better Life Safety and Emergency Preparedness
In a series of unannounced compliance audits, the Office of Inspector General found that among 20 surveyed nursing homes, all had severe deficiencies. These included 205 issues related to life safety and 219 issues related to emergency preparedness. In an August 2019 report, the department cited inadequate management and lack of standardized training as the main causes for noncompliance.
Massachusetts Weighs Hospital Wayfinding Regulation
The bills currently working their way through the Massachusetts legislature would require the state Department of Public Health to set regulations that require all Massachusetts hospitals to meet certain criteria to ensure safe patient access at all times to an emergency room or department. These measures would include indoor and outdoor signage, indoor and outdoor lighting, and best-practice wayfinding.
Battling alarm fatigue for improved patient care and safety
By: Jordan Rosenfeld Medical alarms are meant to alert medical staff when a patient’s condition requires immediate attention. Unfortunately, there are so many false alarms — they’re false as much as 72% to 99% percent of the time — that they lead to alarm fatigue in nurses and other healthcare professionals. One study found that … Continued
Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
Pests commonly seek places of warmth, with food, moisture, and shelter—and shared laundry facilities offer each of these draws. Because of this, pest management professionals are taking note and encouraging facility managers and staff to do the same.
Two New Protocols for Respirator Fit Testing from OSHA
The new protocols are variations of an existing OSHA-approved method, the ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter (CNC) quantitative fit testing protocol, often referred to as the “PortaCount® protocol.”
When Parents Bring Children to Appointments, Does Treatment Suffer?
The researchers found that for 70% of doctor’s visits, patients came with their kids. This occurred far more frequently for scheduled appointments than emergency visits. Parents quickly lost their focus on the primary task, while caregivers became distracted by repeated interruptions.