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- Crews dedicated to reducing C. diff have significant impact on infection rates
Cleaning crews that are specifically educated in attacking Clostridium difficile (C. diff) can dramatically reduce the presence of organisms in infected room through the use of enhanced disinfection methods, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Researchers examined efforts to remove C. diff from rooms infected during an outbreak at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The 21-month intervention to remove C. diff cultures took place in several phases.
- Disaster response plans crucial in responding to Boston Marathon explosions
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, many of the city’s hospitals employed their emergency plans, calling in additional personnel and placing facilities on temporary lock-down.
- U.S. hospital boards fail to place sufficient emphasis on quality of care
Board chairs of U.S. hospitals have less training in quality of care and devote less time to quality issues than their counterparts in England, according to a study in the recent issue of Health Affairs.
- New OSHA resource on protecting workers from combustible dust fires
OSHA has released a new resource to help keep emergency responders and facility workers safe when handling emergencies involving combustible dust. The booklet, titled Firefighting Precautions at Facilities with Combustible Dust, explains the associated hazards of combustible dust and outlines best practices for preparations to make prior to a response, as well as the effect of these preparations during incidents, according to an OSHA press release.
- Don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky...stormy weather!
In case you’ve not heard (I don’t see as much info on the various list servs I monitor when it comes to the timing of the unannounced survey process), there have been some instances this year when unannounced Joint Commission surveys have been occurring months earlier than anticipated (nobody has gone outside of their official “window,” which opens 18 months prior to the anniversary date of your last triennial survey).
- Whitepaper identifies strategies for safer healthcare work environments
Many healthcare workers are at risk of being bullied, harassed, demeaned, ignored, or physically assaulted or injured when providing care, making it difficult to provide safe healthcare for patients, according to a new whitepaper from the Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation. The paper notes that both emotional and physical harm occur at higher rates in the healthcare workforce than in other industries, and disrespectful treatment of healthcare employees increases the risk of patient injury. Read more at the OSHA Healthcare Advisor blog.