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Hospital Safety Insider

Stay on top of hospital safety requirements and best practices with our free, fast-paced weekly update.

2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

Hospital Safety Insider

Issue 2, February 1, 2013

• Staff training for potentially violent situations

  A distressed patient holds a chair over his head, making demands and threatening to bring it down...

Issue 24, June 13, 2013

• Heroic 18 minutes puts spotlight on Boston EMS and hospital response

  Cities around the world are reaching out to Boston’s Emergency Medical Services crews and...

• Mac's Safety Space: Getting the word out about clinical alarms

   All things being equal, I suspect that folks are wrestling with the very expansive elements...

• Smaller Hospitals have higher levels of ventilator-associated pneumonia

  Small hospitals have a higher rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia than their larger...

Issue 23, June 6, 2013

• The tornado-proof hospital: what we can learn from Joplin and Moore

  Two years after being destroyed by an EF-5 rated tornado, St. John’s Hospital in Joplin, MO...

• Decontaminating patients cuts hospital infections

  Infections in U.S. hospitals kill tens of thousands of people each year, and many institutions...

• Mac's Safety Space: It's the heat, not the humidity. No, really.

  Good news for those of you who might be struggling a bit with low humidity levels in your surgical...

• University of Iowa hospitals help develop safe blood tracking system

   A new blood bag tracking device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to enhance blood...

• KPC is the reigning Superbug in hospitals, study finds

  Hospital pharmacists face several challenges in helping manage antibiotic-resistant, gram-negative...

Issue 22, May 30, 2013

• Hospital laundering practices may expose patients to infectious bacteria

  New study results published online in the American Journal of Infection Control found...

• Mac's Safety Space: News to me

  Recently, a client sent me a question regarding assessing his surgical procedure rooms as wet...

Issue 21, May 23, 2013

• Drill down to step up hand hygiene compliance

  We’ve heard it many times before. Regular and thorough hand washing is the most effective way...

• Maine comes in first in hospital safety

  Maine’s hospitals are the safest in the nation, according to the Leapfrog Group, which...

• Mac's Safety Space: We are the Champions

  So, I encourage you to contact the individual in your organization responsible for coordinating...

• ASA reacts to approval of personal sedation systems

   The American Society of Anesthesiologists is taking a closer look at the recent pre-market...

Issue 20, May 16, 2013

• Depressing Leapfrog scores haunt hospitals

  One would like to think hospitals are becoming a safer place to be, but that’s apparently not...

• Report: Nearly 10 percent of patients have C.diff at admission

   A new report in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control says one...

• He aint HVA, he is my opportunity

   An interesting topic came across my desk relative to a January 2013 survey, and it pertains...

Issue 19, May 9, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Copper key in reducing infections

  A new report claims that hospital-acquired infections were cut down by more than half by using...

• Latest scores show incremental progress in hospital safety

  According to the Leapfrog Group, U.S. hospitals are only making incremental progress when it comes...

• Clean hands still considered gold standard for infection control

  In celebration of Hand Hygiene Day last Monday, the United Nations health agency says that hundreds...

• Report: Targeted screening could help reduce C. diff infection

    A new study claims that hospitals can identify most patients that are infected with C...

• Innovations of "Hospital Safety Superstars" defined

  AARP magazine recently published, "Lessons from America's Safest Hospitals," available on...

Issue 18, May 2, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Drills that readied hospitals and EMS for bombings face funding cuts

   Boston hospitals and emergency services have gotten rave reviews for the quick and...

• Report: Hospitals too often neglect drug safety education

   A report by the Institute for Safe Medical Practices (ISMP) says hospitals are lacking in...

• Excellence amid chaos: A word from the land of the bean and the cod

  Greeley safety consultant Steve Mac takes a minute to recognize the efforts of Boston-area...

Issue 17, April 25, 2013

• Boston Hospitals balanced operations with safety during lockdown

  The entire city of Boston went into lockdown mode last Friday during a manhunt that eventually...

• Hospital Safety Hurt by Teamwork Lapses, AIG Study Shows

  Patient safety at U.S. hospitals is hampered by inadequate teamwork and communication, as well as a...

• Texas fertilizer company did not disclose amount of chemicals on site

  OSHA and other federal agencies require companies to disclose the amount and type of hazardous...

• Consumer Reports: Many hospitals continue to lag in safety

    More than 2,000 U.S. hospitals were included in Consumer Reports' updated hospital safety...

• 3 Steps to use a surgical safety checklist

  In 2010, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., implemented the World Health...

Issue 16, April 18, 2013

• Crews dedicated to reducing C. diff have significant impact on infection rates

   Cleaning crews that are specifically educated in attacking Clostridium difficile (C. diff...

• 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...

Issue 15, April 11, 2013

• Joint Commission issues Sentinel Event Alert on medical device alarm safety

  This week, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert regarding alarm fatigue and medical...

• How does your escort service measure up? Hope you're not letting things get too hot...

  I know we’ve (at least sort of) talked about this before (for those of you who might need...

• 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...

• Healthcare Life Safety Compliance

  Four of the top 10 most-cited standards in hospitals stem from Life Safety Code® deficiencies...

Issue 14, April 4, 2013

• 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...

• One thing leads to another

  An interesting development on the survey front this year; it may be merely a blip on the compliance...

• Hospital Safety Center

  Save hours of time normally spent searching through books, files, clippings and the Internet, and...

Issue 13, March 28, 2013

• Joint Commission surveys, hospital security concerns, and maintaining a positive workforce culture

  This week, Steve MacArthur of Mac’s Safety Space discusses a recent trend in...

• Hospital security concerns get another look after "active shooter" incidents

  How do you keep a hospital open to the public, yet keep the people there safe from someone who...

• 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...

• Healthcare workplaces share best practices for maintaining positive work culture

  Several major hospitals and healthcare systems recently shared best practices for building a...

• Strategies from manufacturing can improve hospital care

  Employing manufacturing management practices such as Toyota’s Lean initiatives led to lower...

Issue 12, March 21, 2013

• Strategies for safer work environments from National Patient Safety Foundation

  The National Patient Safety Foundation has released a whitepaper containing recommended strategies...

• Whitepaper identifies strategies for safer healthcare work environments

  Many healthcare workers are at risk of being bullied, harassed, demeaned, ignored, or physically...

• Documentary evidence: More you need to know?

  Another perpetually sticky wicket in the survey process (and we’ve discussed this, oh, once...

• Joint Commission identifies most challenging requirements

  The Joint Commission has released a list of the most challenging requirements for 2012, which...

Issue 11, March 14, 2013

• The ever-vexing task of managing penetrations

  This week, Steve MacArthur of Mac’s Safety Space discusses managing penetrations and the...

• OSHA Training Handbook for Healthcare Facilities

  This concise primer, written by Sarah E. Alholm, MAS, cuts through the clutter and illustrates how...

• I’m fixing a hole

  For our next topic of conversation regarding George Mills’ address to the folks in ASHE last...

• Lethal germ affecting short-stay hospitals, long-term care facilities

  A lethal germ found in short-stay hospitals and long-term care facilities called...

• Infection rates for C. difficile remain high despite prevention efforts

  A new survey in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC...

Issue 10, March 7, 2013

• Deadly bacteria in hospitals and the robot that might be able to help

  A robot that kills viruses and bacteria by using UV light? It might sound like something out of...

• March issue of Healthcare Life Safety Compliance

  The March issue of Healthcare Life Safety Compliance is available and can be accessed by online at...

• Robot disinfects hospital rooms with a touch of a button

  Imagine if you could hit a button and have a patient room disinfected within 10 minutes? Thanks to...

• Suites for the sweet

  If you have suites that you have mentally designated, but haven’t gone through the process...

• CDC warns of increase in deadly bacteria

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a call to action for the healthcare...

• Wellness programs lower hospitalizations but not costs

  Wellness programs aimed at reducing costs do not necessarily meet that goal, according to a new...

Issue 9, February 28, 2013

• Smokers banned from future jobs in Pennsylvania health system

  In the news this week, the University of Pennsylvania Health System has announced that it will not...

• When disaster strikes twice

  Dealing with one disaster can be difficult for any facility, but what happens if you're faced with...

• It’s up to you to heed the call out

  If you’re reading this, then in all likelihood you’re a regular subscriber to this...

• Pennsylvania health system to ban smokers

  Beginning July 1, the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) will no longer hire people...

• Linking mortality rates to staff satisfaction

  Staff members at hospitals with lower mortality rates were happier with the standard of care they...

Issue 8, February 21, 2013

• Infection preventionists and safety best practices

  Does your organization have dedicated infection preventionists, and if so, are they certified...

• Certification of infection preventionists could yield better practices

  Hospital infection preventionists (IP) are generally in agreement as to which practices have strong...

• Clearing up required corridor widths in healthcare facilities

  Corridor widths in hospitals and nursing homes have to be maintained clear and free up to 8 feet...

• New virus claims its sixth victim

  A British patient has died from a new kind of coronavirus similar to SARS, marking the sixth...

• Is the patient safety movement in danger of flickering out?

  Physicians have made progress when it comes to the patient safety movement, but clinician burnout...

• Mandates with consequences show higher rates of flu shot compliance

  Flu vaccination rates in hospitals that require vaccination with consequences for noncompliance is...

Issue 7, February 14, 2013

• PFI, HAI, and OSHA inspections

  In this week’s issue, you’ll find a blog post from Steve MacArthur of Mac’s...

• New issue of Hospital Safety Center now available

  The March issue of Hospital Safety Center is now available and can be accessed by online at...

• PFI - Pretty Freaking Important - you’d better believe it!

  I’m reasonably certain that we’ve dealt with this before, but there’s been a wee...

• What do OSHA inspectors look for in healthcare settings?

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• Researchers urge reevaluation of influenza control guidelines

  Current recommendations for influenza control may not adequately protect providers during routine...

• CDC reports improvements in fight against healthcare-associated infections

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Issue 6, February 7, 2013

• Hospital security after Newtown

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• Hospital security concerns get another look after Newtown

  How do you keep a hospital open to the public, yet keep the people there safe from someone who...

• PFI-- Pretty Freaking Important-- you'd better believe it!

  I’m reasonably certain that we’ve dealt with this before, but there’s been a wee...

• What do OSHA inspectors look for in healthcare settings?

  OSHA inspectors are usually interested in (and legally entitled to) review of:

• Clearing up required corridor widths in healthcare facilities

  Corridor widths in hospitals and nursing homes have to be maintained clear and free up to 8 feet...

• ASTM standard addresses testing of hand hygiene products

  Approved by Committee E35 on Pesticides, Antimicrobials and Alternative Control Agents, ASTM E2897...

• Purging hospitals of C. diff calls for collaborative effort

  Missing in the recent news about the success of real and synthetic fecal transplants to treat...

• UNC study may lead to treatments effective against all MRSA strains

  In the last decade, a new strain of MRSA has emerged that can spread beyond hospital walls...

• Rapid DNA sequencing used with clinical laboratory tests to halt MRSA outbreak

  This may be a first for medical laboratory medicine. In England,  researchers used real-time...

• Current recommendations for infection control among health care providers may not be adequate

  Some people with the flu emit more of the air-borne virus than others, suggesting that the current...

Issue 5, January 31, 2013

• Break the "Groundhog Day" cycle, minimizing construction impacts, and changes to the Life Safety Code®

  This week in Hospital Safety Insider: Breaking the “Groundhog Day” cycle, minimizing...

• From Mac's Safety Space: A little more conversation

  Another contractor-related “impression” that’s surfaced lately (and this is not...

• How to evaluate safety sharps

  You've had some complaints and a near miss, so you know you need to replace what you're using but...

• Breaking the "Groundhog Day" cycle

  Recently on the OSHA Healthcare Advisor blog (www.oshahealthcareadvisor.com), we invited readers...

• NFPA makes changes to the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code®

  The 2012 edition of NFPA 101: Life Safety Code® (LSC) is only 18 months old, and already the...

• Firing employees who don't get flu shots: What risks do hospitals face?

  As hospitals continue to see an onslaught of flu patients, they also face challenges to flu...

• Employers must post OSHA 300A work-related injuries and illnesses summary by Feb. 1

  Employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s recordkeeping rule...

• NICUs in Nine States See Sharp Drop in Bloodstream Infections

  Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in newborns were reduced by 58% in less...

• ECRI Institute Shows How Medical Device Accident Investigations Can Save Lives

  ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient...

• Return of MRSA has experts baffled

  Killer superbug MRSA may be making a comeback in Lothian hospitals, health chiefs have warned.

Issue 4, January 24, 2013

• Keeping track of contractors, hand washing poll, and how to train your staff for potentially violent situations

  This week in Hospital Safety Insider: How contractors in your facility can (unknowingly) create...

• One of our subs is missing (with apologies to T. Dolby)

  In recent months, I’ve encountered a couple of instances in which some contractors doing...

• From the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Blog: Hand washing in healthcare settings

  Frequent hand washing is cited again and again as an effective and inexpensive defense against...

• Vegan hospital worker’s flu vaccination refusal may be protected religious belief

  The Supreme Court and Title VII’s expansive view of “religion” is well...

• Better Syringe Designs Could Nearly Eradicate Global Annual HIV Infections From Syringe Sharing

  Switching the type of syringe used by people who inject drugs could help curb HIV transmission in...

• Hospital floods highlight need for infection prevention, control

  Hospital closures after extensive flooding in Thailand and United States have brought attention to...

• Examining Common Arguments Against Influenza Vaccination

  Following last year's season of low activity, influenza is surging across the country and as of...

• OSHA Updates Guidance on Hazardous Chemical Exposures in Labs

  OSHA is issuing a technical amendment to the non-mandatory appendix in its standard on...

Issue 3, January 17, 2013

• Eyewash 101, reopening patient care units, and Life Safety Code rules for fire doors

  This week in Hospital Safety Insider: Eyewash Stations 101, why you need to report patient issues...

• From Mac's Safety Space: Living on a thin line...

  One of the realities of modern healthcare has been the shift (not everywhere, but in a lot of...

• From the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Blog: Reporting a patient fatality to OSHA

  Q: We had a patient experience a fatal reaction to an injection. We understand we have to do an...

• A closer look at eyewash stations

  What settings require eyewashes, why squeeze bottles aren't compliant, and the debate over...

• Positive latching corridor doors

  Q: Are existing corridor doors required to be positive latching? Section 19.3.6.3.2 of the 2000...

• Nurse with no flu shot refuses to wear mask, is fired

  A nurse who refused to wear a surgical mask after receiving an exemption from a mandatory flu...

• Demonstrate ROI to Make an Effective Business Case for Infection Prevention

  Long seen as a cost center by healthcare administrators, infection prevention programs have taken a...

• Study Shows Effectiveness of Ultraviolet Light in Hospital Infection Control

  Research presented at IDWeek 2012 showed that a specific spectrum of ultraviolet light killed...

• CDC Restates Prohibition Against Reuse of Single-Dose Vials

  The heat is being turned up once again on health care workers who reuse single-dose vials (SDVs...

• Safe in Common to Host Second in Series of Online Sharps Safety Conferences

  Safe in Common (SIC), the non-profit organization of healthcare safety advocates dedicated to...

Issue 2, January 10, 2013

• Survey "war stories," Safety Officer 101, and listening to Negative Nellie

  This week in Hospital Safety Insider: A primer on things to do when you’re the new safety...

• From Mac’s Safety Space: Ride the lightning...tales from the survey wars!

  Just a quick little list of recent survey findings—not necessarily having anything to do...

• From the OSHA Healthcare Advisor Blog: Adding "Negative Nellie" to the safety committee

  Q: Our office's "Negative Nellie" wants to be on the safety committee. I am sure she...

• Congratulations! You're the new safety officer!

  New employment settings can often be stressful: You don't know the "rules," spoken or...

• Preventing leaks in water-based fire protection systems

  Corrosion inside fire protection piping that eventually leads to leaks is a problem that most...

• Nurses’ union contract features first-in-nation needlestick and workplace violence benefit

  A nurses’ union in California is celebrating what it calls a first-in-the-nation workplace...

• Study Finds Use of Disinfection Cap is Associated with Fewer Bloodstream Infections

  Patients at NorthShore University HealthSystem are now better protected against potentially deadly...

• Report: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic employees still not protected

  Months after the mass shooting in March at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, a...

• Infection control for dental offices: Ongoing research into combating MRSA

  Kathleen Dannelly, an Indiana State University associate professor of biology leading the recent...

• Needlestick injuries on the rise, says HPA

  The number of needlestick injuries that left healthcare workers exposed to blood-borne viruses has...

Issue 1, January 3, 2013

• Life Safety Code advice, bomb threat training, and patient follow-up

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• Things that go bump (or don’t) in your egress stairwells

  There has been a little increase in findings relative to various items (utility system components...

• Bomb Threat Training

  Question: Another practice in our medical complex had a bomb threat called in. What do I need to...

• Easing pain, improving quality, care, and culture through follow-up contact

  All day and all night, healthcare providers try to help people heal and feel better. They take care...

• Life Safety Code Q&A: Ambulatory care soiled utility room

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• FDA Approves First Drug to Treat Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Sirturo (bedaquiline) as part of combination...

• Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor Enhances Hospital Disinfection

  Infection prevention and control experts at the Johns Hopkins Hospital have found that a...

• Practicing holiday hand hygiene might lead to gift of health

  No one wants to spend the holidays with a cold or, worse yet, the flu. As we hit the home stretch...

• Researchers show how MRSA contact precautions lead to better hand hygiene

  Contact precautions for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus led to healthcare...