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Infection Control Weekly Monitor

Infection Control Weekly Monitor keeps you up-to-date on what's happening in the world of infection control. Every issue provides useful tips on topics from hand hygiene to improving flu vaccination rates.

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

Infection Control Weekly Monitor

Issue 49, December 5, 2012

• Infection Control Weekly Monitor merging into Hospital Safety Insider

  Notice: Your subscription will be changing in the coming weeks!

• Prewritten exposure control plans

  Q: It seems like it will take too much time to write my own exposure control plan. Can’t I...

• Study: Medicare claims can identify hospitals with high SSI rates

  Medicare claims can be used to identify hospitals with high rates of surgical site infections...

• Editor’s choice: 2013 NPSGs bring no new goals, but difficult patient safety challenges remain

  On October 24, The Joint Commission released the new National Patient Safety Goals for 2013. The...

Issue 48, November 28, 2012

• Infection Control Weekly Monitor merging into Hospital Safety Insider

  Notice: Your subscription will be changing in the coming weeks! Very shortly, Infection Control...

• Ask the expert: What exactly constitutes biohazardous waste?

  Q: Do cotton balls or bandages with only a drop of blood need to go in the biohazardous waste bag...

• Genomic tests show promise for MRSA control

  An apparent outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a special-care baby...

• Editor’s choice: Walk through the process

  One way to both evaluate your equipment disinfection and sterilization process and prepare for a...

Issue 47, November 21, 2012

• Ask the expert: Who needs to wear lab coats?

  Q: Are medical doctors and nurse practitioners obligated to wear lab coats when seeing patients?

• Secondary infections send meningitis patients back to hospital

  Puzzled health officials are investigating reports that some fungal meningitis patients in...

• Equipment disinfection compliance continues to plague many hospitals

  IC.02.02.01 remains in the top ten Joint Commission citations, indicating that hospitals need to...

Issue 46, November 14, 2012

• Tackling hospital-acquired infections through environmental cleaning

  Infection control efforts have increased significantly in recent years, as reimbursement methods...

• Foremost needlestick experts join Safe in Common to present online conference to address "The Unfinished Agenda"

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

• Editor's choice: The PSMJ Staff Trainer

  Test staff knowledge of The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals with the following...

Issue 45, November 7, 2012

• Ask the expert: Exposure determination list

  Q: Staff members at our facility always wear PPE so we aren’t exposed to patients&rsquo...

• Antibiotics: friend or foe?

  When patients demand antibiotics for a cold, the flu, or any other viral infections, physicians...

• Editor's choice: GAO report calls for more hospital safeguards for radioactive material

  Citing the risk of a dirty bomb attack, the GAO describes failures on the part of hospitals, while...

Issue 44, October 31, 2012

• Hello from the new Managing Editor

  Greetings, OSHA Healthcare Advisor readers! My name is Will Kilburn, and I’m the new...

• Hospital cooperation key to reducing rates of infection, study finds

  When it comes to patient infections, no hospital is an island. Doctors, hospital employees, and...

• Editor's choice: Heavier patients lead to more emphasis on safe patient handling programs

  In the last 10 years, obesity among adults has become a focal point in the United States. As a...

Issue 43, October 24, 2012

• Weekly tip: Bloodstream infections minimized by soap and nasal swabs

  Bloodstream infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA), dropped by...

• Mandatory flu shots for RI healthcare workers

  Rhode Island became the first state in the U.S. to adopt a flu immunization requirement for all...

• Editor’s choice: MDRO screening policies and practices vary in ICUs

  MDRO prevention continues to be on the forefront of infection prevention, but screening practices...

Issue 42, October 17, 2012

• Second drug tied to meningitis outbreak, FDA says

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has linked a second steroid to the fungal meningitis...

• Editor's choice: CMS policy may not impact infection rates

  The policy to reduce payments for preventable hospital-acquired conditions, introduced by the...

Issue 41, October 10, 2012

• Meningitis outbreak linked to steroid injection

  A spinal steroid injection has been linked to an outbreak of a rare form of meningitis, which has...

• Editor’s choice: Building a compliant sharps exception process

  Properly documenting instances where safety devices are unavailable or inhibit patient care...

Issue 40, October 3, 2012

• Immunization rates low among healthcare providers

  Nearly a quarter of workers in hospitals and a third of workers in physicians’ offices did...

• Editor's choice: Flu shot compliance varies among hospital, non-hospital, and EMS employees

  New studies highlight knowledge and attitude gaps and provide more support for mandatory...

• Boston EMS investigates potential patient infections

  Fifty-seven people may have been exposed to blood-borne illnesses while being treated in a Boston...

Issue 39, September 26, 2012

• New FDA task force supports antibacterial drug development

  A new internal task force formed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will assist in...

Issue 38, September 19, 2012

• New death from superbug at NIH facility

  A seventh patient has died due to a drug-resistant strain of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae...

• Editor’s choice: Ask the expert: Recapping fill needles

  Q: What guidance does OSHA give on recapping fill needles?

Issue 37, September 12, 2012

• AHRQ project decreases bloodstream infections

  A unique nationwide patient safety project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and...

Issue 36, September 5, 2012

• Ask the expert: Storing food and medications in the same fridge

  Q: Is it OK to store food and medications, such as vaccines, in the same fridge?

• Three-step approach to slashing central line infections in pediatric cancer patients

  According to a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study, hospitals can drastically decrease...

• Editor’s choice: Preventing unsafe injection practices and drug diversion

  A recent incident in New Hampshire highlights the importance of education and awareness for safe...

• Are you going to NAHQ on September 20 - 23?

  If so, join HCPro for an exclusive focus group meeting while at NAHQ.

Issue 35, August 29, 2012

• Ask the expert: Should biohazard bins be kept behind closed doors?

  Q: We are based in Colorado. Do our red bins for biohazard waste need to be locked in a closet or...

• Hospital-acquired infections undercounted in California

  California officials have uncovered problems in reporting infection control data that highlights...

• Editor’s choice: Burnout: A preventable occurrence or a likely outcome?

  If you work in healthcare, it's highly likely that you have worked with at least one colleague who...

Issue 34, August 22, 2012

• Three states seeing new cases of H3N2 flu

  Michigan and West Virginia have reported their first cases of the new variant of swine flu, H3N2...

• Are you going to NAHQ on September 20 - 23?

  If so, join HCPro for an exclusive focus group meeting while at NAHQ. Be the first to preview an...

• Editor’s choice: HHS announces awards to prevent and respond to infectious diseases

  Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that nearly $50 million...

• Ask the expert archive: Carpeting in lab blood draw rooms

  Q: Are there any OSHA rules against carpeting in lab blood draw rooms?

Issue 33, August 15, 2012

• Another Exeter patient diagnosed with hepatitis C

  The hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter (N.H.) hospital claimed another victim when officials from the...

• Editor’s choice: Joint Commission issues Sentinel Event Alert on opioid use

  On August 8, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert regarding specific steps hospitals...

• Ask the expert: Meeting TB guidelines with volunteers/unpaid staff

  Q: We are a home health agency and are low risk for tuberculosis (TB) and have a question related...

• Setting, achieving, and evaluating goals for your infection control program

  Most infection control (IC) professionals can recite their No. 1 goal in their sleep: zero...

Issue 32, August 8, 2012

• Dukal recalls potentially contaminated Benzalkonium chloride antiseptic wipes

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release last week that Dukal is...

• Editor’s choice: The impact of unnecessary procedures on quality and patient safety

  All medical procedures come with some degree of risk, and one doesn't need to look very far to...

• Ask the expert archive: Ask the expert: When to test after Hepatitis B vaccination

  Q: After employees have the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, when should they be tested for...

• Weekly Poll: Summer dress codes and safety

  Does how staff members dress in summertime create worker safety or patient safety problems?

Issue 31, August 1, 2012

• In memoriam - David LaHoda

  It is with great sadness that I share the news that David LaHoda, our good friend and colleague...

• Publishing break for Medical Environment Update

  In light of the current events, HCPro will not publish a September or October issue of the...

• Reduce nurse burnout to decrease hospital-acquired infections

  A new study from the University of Pennsylvania has found that if hospitals in the state reduced...

• Weekly Poll: Summer dress codes and safety

  Do how staff members dress in summertime create worker safety or patient safety problems?

Issue 30, July 25, 2012

• State advises 8,000 dental patients to be tested for hepatitis, HIV

  An investigation by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment indicates that as many...

• Editor’s choice: Should Fed funding for patient safety go bye-bye?

  A House subcommittee, on July 18, voted to eliminate all funding for the Agency for Healthcare...

• Ask the expert: When safety needles and scalpels are the exception

  Q: What reasons will an OSHA inspector accept for not adopting safety devices, such as safety...

• Weekly Poll: Summer dress codes and safety

  Do how staff members dress in summertime create worker safety or patient safety problems?

Issue 29, July 18, 2012

• Mercy! Time to consider risk of MRSA from unsafe injections

  Move over hepatitis B, C, and HIV, and make room for MRSA infections as a consequence of unsafe...

• Hospital fails to protect from aerosol transmissible disease exposures

  Cal/OSHA has imposed an $84,450 fine on Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for failure to warn and...

• Oregon's hospitals report HAI prevention success

  The fight against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) by Oregon hospitals has yielded...

• Ask the expert: Healthcare worker TB exposure

  Q: A patient seen by our practice has recently tested positive for tuberculosis and is undergoing...

• Weekly poll: Healthcare workers and latex hazards

  In your facility, do you educate healthcare workers and provide them with training materials about...

Issue 28, July 11, 2012

• CDC posts healthcare worker hepatitis management guidelines

  The CDC updated the guidelines for how facilities should manage healthcare providers with hepatitis...

• Study examines infection prevention practices in home healthcare

  “A healthy boy was infected with antibiotic-resistant bacterium that was traced to his...

• Voluntary recall by Advanced Sterilization Products

  Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP) issued a voluntary recall of certain lots of its STERRAD®...

• Ask the expert: TB screening for medical office staff

  Q: What are the OSHA TB screening requirements for medical office staff?

• Weekly poll: Staff and TB testing

  For the settings in your healthcare organization that are at low risk for TB exposure, do you...

Issue 27, July 4, 2012

• Flu-shot acceptance differs by healthcare setting

  A study looked at how and why healthcare workers in non-hospital settings differ in their...

• Hospital Legionella risk management tool flawed

  A tool that many hospitals use to assess the risk of Legionella in facilities may give a false...

• Editor's choice: Working while sick. Is it really worth it?

  It happens to everyone at some point: you wake up with a cough, a headache, or a stuffy nose, and...

• Ask the expert: Emergency eyewash stations and blood exposures

  Q: Are emergency eyewash stations required for blood exposures to the eyes?

• Weekly poll: The Court’s decision on Obamacare

  Are you pleased with the decision of the U.S Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the...

Issue 26, June 27, 2012

• CMS will cite on reuse of single dose vials except...

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reiterated that healthcare organizations...

• Fighting outbreaks with electronic medical records

  Electronic medical records now play a major role in investigating infectious disease outbreaks and...

• Editor’s choice: Establishing a CAUTI prevention program

  This week, Mikel L. Gray, PhD, CUNP, CCCN, FAANP, FAAN, discusses the role of nurse leaders in...

• Ask the expert: Refusing the hepatitis B post-vaccination titer

  Q: If an employee agrees to the hepatitis B the vaccination but fails to follow through on the...

Issue 25, June 20, 2012

• State officials investigate hospital hepatitis C outbreak

  The New Hampshire state health department is investigating a hepatitis C outbreak affecting 20...

• CDC instructs on infection prevention in dialysis settings

  The CDC has designed an online course for outpatient hemodialysis healthcare workers, including...

• Study examines infections from contaminated alcohol pads

  A small cluster of unusual illnesses at a Colorado children’s hospital prompted an...

• Ask the expert: Positive TB test with new hires

  Q: We are a low-risk setting for TB. What is the follow-up when a new worker has a positive skin...

Issue 24, June 13, 2012

• Up close and personal on unsafe injections

  The CDC has recently posted two items on unsafe injection practices.

• CA-MRSA on the rise in NYC

  New York City’s community-associated (CA) MRSA rates more than tripled between 1997 and 2006...

• Ask the expert: Bloodborne pathogens exposure incident

  Q: What constitutes a bloodborne pathogens exposure incident?

• Weekly poll: How serious are you about ergonomics?

  Is an ergonomics policy a key part of the safety program in your healthcare facility?

Issue 23, June 6, 2012

• Feds encourage blunt-tip suture needle use

  To put it bluntly, the FDA, CDC, NIOSH, and OSHA want to see more use of blunt-tip suture needles...

• Study: Break rooms and kitchens are ’hot-spots’ for workplace germs

  It’s not the office restrooms that you have worry about, but rather that microwave oven door...

• Safety tip: Dry your eyes, but don’t dry those wipes!

  In two instances, someone had the temerity to forget to close the cover on a container of...

• Ask the expert: Disposable tourniquets and OSHA regulations

  Q: What does OSHA say about reusing tourniquets for blood draws?

• Weekly poll: How green are you?

  How green is your healthcare facility or department in following environmentally sound practices

Issue 22, May 30, 2012

• Study: Residents short on H1N1 PPE and infection prevention sense

  While training as doctors during the H1N1 pandemic, residents in four healthcare facilities showed...

• Reducing phlebotomy needlesticks

  More than 10 years after the passage of the Needlestick Prevention and Safety Act phlebotomy...

• APIC: When visiting the nail salon or tattoo parlor

  If you’re thinking about heading to the nail salon for a little pampering or getting a new...

• Ask the expert: Using safety needles in an orthopedic practice

  Q: Our orthopedic practice only gives steroid injections. Are we required to use safety needles?

Issue 21, May 23, 2012

• CDC posts healthcare setting outbreak reports for Hepatitis Awareness Month

  As part of Hepatitis Awareness Month and the first National Hepatitis Testing Day in the U.S. on...

• C. diff on the rise

  There is clear evidence that Clostridium difficile (C.difficile), a difficult-to-control and treat...

• Ask the expert: When to test after Hepatitis B vaccination

  Q: After employees have the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, when should they be tested for...

• Weekly poll: Hepatitis B protection for healthcare workers

  Of the workers in your healthcare facility with reasonably anticipated risk for exposures to blood...

Issue 20, May 16, 2012

• IPs hit the competency road to the future

  If you are still fighting the infection control stereotype of ‘hand washing cop’ or...

• Study: Work experience related to increased use of PPE for flu

  Proper use of PPE for protection against H1N1 comes with healthcare worker experience, but not as...

• Editor's choice: Test your nursing history IQ and win a free webcast on preventing CAUTIs!

  There is still time to get in on HCPro's Nurses Week celebration free webcast contest through a fun...

• Ask the expert: Training record retention

  Q: I have been looking on the OSHA website for guidance on how long we should retain employee...

Issue 19, May 9, 2012

• New competency model for infection preventionists

  The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has introduced their first...

• ZEP zapped by EPA

  The EPA ordered a cease to the sale and use of ZEP Formula 165, a disinfectant intended for use in...

• Editor’s choice: HCPro celebrates National Nurses Week!

   In honor of Nurses Week, HCPro will feature a different special offer each day, including...

• Ask the expert: Online exposure control plan

  Q: Is it okay to have the Bloodborne Pathogens exposure control plan online, for example on the...

• Weekly poll: Nurses and workplace safety

  Compared to other working groups or occupations in your healthcare facility or organization, how...

Issue 18, May 2, 2012

• CDC reiterates: Single dose vials for one patient only

  To avoid confusion among clinicians regarding the use of single-use medication vials and doses, the...

• Editor's choice: CAUTIs still a problem

  Readers of OSHA Healthcare Connection will find HCPro’s May 30 webcast on CAUTIs...

• Report on state HAI prevention programs

  Despite some uneven progress among the states, HAI-prevention is moving in the right direction...

• Ask the expert: Doctors and annual bloodborne pathogens training

  Q: Are doctors in a medical practice exempt from OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard yearly updates?

Issue 17, April 25, 2012

• FDA: Bacteria found in ultrasound transmission gel poses risk of infection

  The FDA is warning healthcare facilities that some lots of Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound...

• Hand in hand in beating C. diff

  Clostridium difficile posed a threat across all medical facilities, not just hospital settings. But...

• Study: Forgetfulness, discomfort blamed for respiratory hygiene noncompliance

  Even though nearly all emergency department triage nurses at two university hospitals knew that...

• Weekly poll: Color-coded scrubs for nurses

  Should nurses be required to wear prescribed color scrubs or uniforms?

Issue 16, April 18, 2012

• ACS teams with CDC to prevent surgical site infections

  The American College of Surgeons and the CDC have announced a three-year project to harmonize...

• Joint Commission unveils HAI portal

  The Joint Commission has launched an online portal focusing on healthcare-associated infections...

• Study checks dental students on bloodborne exposures

  Fewer than half of dental school students showed “adequate knowledge of transmission and...

• Weekly poll: Personally speaking up on hand hygiene

  As a patient, how likely are to remind a physician to perform hand hygiene before attending to you?

Issue 15, April 11, 2012

• Mum’s the word for patients and hand washing

  Physician, wash thy hands. That's something patients are still reluctant to express before...

• Infection prevention concerns part of OSHA nursing home program

  OSHA has announced a National Emphasis Program to protect nursing homes and residential care...

• Ask the expert: Lunch-time training

  Q: Our supervisor wants to conduct annual bloodborne pathogens training during a brown bag lunch...

• Weekly poll: Surviving an OSHA inspection, right now

  Regardless of your facility type, how confident are you that your healthcare facility would be...

Issue 14, April 4, 2012

• Needlestick prevention group takes to the road

  Safe in Common, a non-profit organization established to raise awareness about needlestrick hazards...

• Study finds only low levels of MRSA ambulances

  Ambulances are relative free of contaminated surfaces that could cause staph infections to patients...

• Ask the expert: Who is qualified to instruct in bloodborne pathogens training?

  Q: What qualifications or certifications does OSHA require for conducting annual training for...

• Weekly poll: Safety compliance and regulatory sources

  From what sources do you regularly obtain information about healthcare staff and facility safety?

Issue 13, March 28, 2012

• Study records operating room staff observations on double gloving

  Healthcare providers observed blood on their hands after surgery more frequently when they wore a...

• Reducing bloodstream infections in an outpatient hemodialysis centers

  Outpatient dialysis centers can significantly reduce the incidence of vascular access-related...

• Editor’s choice: Kicking a dirty habit

  Most healthcare facilities have created some sort of campaign to raise levels of hand hygiene...

• Ask the expert: Chest x-ray frequency with positive TB test

  Q: How often should a staff member in a doctor's office with a positive tuberculin skin test be...

Issue 12, March 21, 2012

• Study: Blood exposures risky with IV catheters

  For nurses, working with IV catheters poses a significant risk for blood exposures, yet most...

• Board certification goes hand in hand with lower MRSA rates

  Acute care hospitals have lower rates of MRSA bloodstream infections when having a board certified...

• Ask the expert: Blood exposure and eyewash station checks

  Q: We have no corrosive chemicals in our work area that would require an emergency eyewash station...

• Weekly poll: Staff safety training and education

  What percentage of your job do you spend on staff safety training and education?

Issue 11, March 14, 2012

• Call to Action issued for protection from bloodborne disease exposures

  The International Healthcare Worker Safety Center and the American Nurses Association have been...

• CDC: ’C. difficile’ poses threats across all medical facilities

  Infections from Clostridium difficile (C. difficile), a bacteria that causes diarrhea and other...

• Ask the expert: Carpeting in lab blood draw rooms

  Q: Are there any OSHA rules against carpeting in lab blood draw rooms?

• Weekly poll: OSHA enforcement in non-hospital settings

  Are you in favor of more bloodborne exposure and needlestick enforcement efforts by OSHA in...

Issue 10, March 7, 2012

• MRSA screening beneficial before pediatric surgery

  Before conducting open-airway surgeries on children, healthcare facilities should screen and treat...

• Sidestepping healthcare worker flu shot mandates

  Should vaccinations against influenza be mandatory for healthcare workers?

• Ask the expert: Storing specimens with medications

  Q: We are aware that specimens cannot be stored with food, but is it okay to store blood, urine...

• Weekly poll: Preferred safety training methods

  For your healthcare facility or department, what is your preferred method for staff safety training?

Issue 9, February 29, 2012

• Lobbying for HAI legislation

  “If you broke it, you fix it, and you pay for it,” is the attitude of a couple...

• Watching for delirium during contact precautions

  A study shows that contact precautions can be added to the list of factors that may cause patient...

• Ask the expert: OSHA bloodborne pathogens fines for hospitals

  Q: In a hospital what is the most frequent OSHA bloodborne pathogens citation and fine?

• Weekly poll: Healthcare as a dangerous job

  Do you consider healthcare jobs as dangerous?

Issue 8, February 22, 2012

• Sticks happen...in pandemic clinics

  Healthcare workers giving lots flu shots in clinics during a pandemic are at higher risk of...

• Study: Needlestick law, an example of good legislation

  Law and order has led to a decrease in needlestick injuries among hospital workers.

• Ask the expert: Most common OSHA fine for medical practices

  Q: In a medical practice what is the most frequent OSHA citation and fine?

• Weekly poll: Progress from Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act

  With the report of a 38% decrease in needlesticks, has the passage and enforcement of the...

Issue 7, February 15, 2012

• APIC WAVES on campaign for consumers against HAIs

  The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) believes patients...

• Federal recommendations inch toward mandatory flu shots

  A federal panel of vaccine advisors has presented to the Department of Health and Human Services...

• Ask the expert: Mandatory flu shots, mask-wearing policies, and HIPAA

  Q: Our healthcare facility is requiring employees to get the flu shot or they will have to wear a...

• Weekly poll: Needlestick safety devices

  How confident are you that your healthcare facility has considered and provided you with the best...

Issue 6, February 8, 2012

• ICU CLABSI data available to consumers

  For the first time, the public now has access to how well a hospital’s ICU deals with central...

• IAC updates flu shot honor roll

  The Immunization Action Coalition has added 28 organizations to its Honor Roll for Patient Safety.

• Editor’s choice: You are disinfecting that scope with what?

  Some healthcare facilities have strange ideas about what constitutes appropriate decontamination.

• Ask the expert: Source patient testing after needlestick injury

  Q: When must we obtain testing consent from the source individual after an employee needlestick...

• Weekly poll: Safety on Super Bowl Monday

  Human resources experts estimate that U.S. workplaces lose $820 million in productivity and absorb...

Issue 5, February 1, 2012

• Norovirus is top reason for U.S. hospital infection outbreaks

  Norovirus is number one on the list of infection outbreaks in U.S. hospitals and was responsible...

• Colorado considers mandatory flu shots

  The Colorado State Board of Health will vote next month on whether to mandate flu shots for...

• Emergency department visits linked to nursing home infections

  A Canadian study indicates that elderly long-term care residents are three times more likely to...

• Weekly poll: Yes or no on mulitdose vials

  Do you agree with the AORN recommended practice to discontinue the use of multidose medication...

Issue 4, January 25, 2012

• AORN nixes multidose vials among other medication recommendations

  The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) hopes two new recommendations will prompt...

• Study: Workplace exposures put nurses at risk for lost pregnancies

  A study appearing in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology raises concerns about common...

• Editor’s choice: Infection prevention plan for outpatient oncology settings

  A new “plug and play” infection control plan that allows oncology clinics to get up to...

• Ask the expert: Top 10 questions for 2011

  Want to know about compliance on bloodborne pathogens training, TB skin testing, emergency eyewash...

• Weekly poll: Workplace safety and performance evaluations

  How important is workplace safety in the written performance evaluations for employees in your...

Issue 3, January 18, 2012

• ANA survey shows nurses concerned about infectious diseases at work

  A survey by the American Nurses Association shows that overall workplace safety has improved...

• Study: Google accurately tracks flu trends

  A study in Clinical Infectious Diseases has good things to say about Google Flu Trends.

• Viewing the film "Puncture"

  If you missed viewing the needlestick injury film Puncture, which was highlighted in the December...

• Ask the expert: Gloves for injections

  Q: In researching OSHA guidelines, I found that wearing gloves during an injection is not required...

• Weekly poll: Workplace safety now and then

  Overall, is your healthcare facility a safer place to work than it was 10 years ago?

Issue 2, January 11, 2012

• Questionable injection habits among NY anesthesiologists

  A survey of anesthesiologist in New York shows an "alarming" trend in unsafe injection...

• International study examines infection prevention practices in dental settings

  A study assessing infection prevention practices of dentists in eight countries shows a wide...

• Ask the expert: OSHA safety sharps compliance on pre-filled syringes

  Q: May we use the non-safety needles that come with pre-filled vaccine syringes provided by the...

• Weekly poll: The Feds and healthcare worker mandatory flu shots

  If approved, do think the CDC’s Recommendations on Strategies to Achieve the Healthy People...

Issue 1, January 4, 2012

• Joint Commission posts Easy-to-Read 2012 NPSGs

  Recently, the Joint Commission (TJC) released easy-to-read versions of the 2012 National Patient...

• CDC posts healthcare prevention strategies for H3N2 flu

  The CDC posted infection prevention strategies for healthcare settings for an influenza variant on...

• Ask the expert: Who does OSHA fine for not using safety needles, the worker or employer?

  Q: If an employee refuses to use available safety devices, such as safety needles and sharps, who...

• Weekly poll: Prediction on bloodborne pathogens exposures

  How well will your facility do in preventing occupational bloodborne pathogens exposures in 2012?

Issue 12, September 12, 2012

• Editor's choice: Compliant use of flash sterilization

  Q: How do I stay compliant while using flash sterilization in my facility?