What information should I incorporate into my position control document?

Preventing C-BSIs has become more than just a patient safety issue; it is now associated with reimbursement and, potentially, accreditation decisions as well.

Starting in October, under new Medicare regulations, hospitals will no longer receive higher payments for the additional costs associated with treating patients for preventable C-BSIs. Implementing best practices to prevent these infections is included among The Joint Commission’s (formerly JCAHO) list of potential 2009 National Patient Safety Goals, currently under review.

The recipe for creating a successful stroke care program at your facility may include many items. Teamwork, leadership, and commitment are just a few examples. And while not necessary for success, The Joint Commission’s 10 indicators may be the most important—and most helpful—ingredient.

Our fourth quarterly benchmarking report takes a look at the state of nurse-physician collaboration. HCPro, Inc., recently conducted a survey among 67 nursing professionals in the healthcare industry about the issue of nurse-physician collaboration within facilities of various sizes and settings nationwide. The data provides nurses' views about the state nurse-physician collaboration and how if is affecting their facilities. The survey included questions about nurse-physician collaboration barriers, the influence poor nurse-physician collaboration has on stress, whether facilities are taking steps to improve nurse-physician collaboration, and if so, what their strategies were.  

The following are effective methods you can use to evaluate your staff and to assess the problem of horizontal hostility. If after assessing these areas you feel that your team is in good shape, continue to monitor the environment:

All managers need to hold meetings with their staff, but the meeting topics, timing, and frequency will determine the interest of each generation. Keep the information brief, as everyone suffers from information overload. The manager should triage information so that nurses only have to read information that is truly relevant to their practice.

Almost all nurse managers want to spend more time with their staff, but they have so many responsibilities that they have trouble finding the time to do so. This situation leaves the nurses on the floor with the perception that managers are too busy pushing papers in their offices to spend time with them, not seeing what they have to do deal with.

The Joint Commission’s surveyors may be tough, but they’re nothing compared with a natural disaster.

So learned Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. When Joint Commission surveyors reviewed Ochsner’s emergency plan in July 2005, they found it lacking and gave the facility a requirement for improvement (RFI). One month later, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit, and that same plan was tested.

Many nurses are not aware of their learning styles, therefore can’t acquire information to their fullest potential. Because accelerated learning is most effective under conditions that are conducive to the learner’s knowledge acquisition, it is important to help your staff identify their learning preferences. Use this sample template to help your orientees (and other learners) understand what actions and activities best help them learn.

To avert patient falls, hospitals should assess every patient for fall risk upon admission. And every time a fall occurs, that patient should be assessed again. Use this figure that examines elements that must be addressed during these assessments to prevent patient falls at your facility.

Three years ago, pandemic influenza was a hot topic. Many facilities were focused on preparing for a potential pandemic. However, interest now appears to be waning, despite the fact that top scientists believe that the risk of pandemic influenza is on the rise.