Safety Newsletters

Briefings on Infection Control Healthcare Life Safety Compliance Hospital Safety Center Medical Environment Update OSHA Watch

Your facility's infection control and prevention initiatives are in the spotlight: Scrutiny from The Joint Commission, CDC guidelines, mounting pressure from state government, and heightened public awareness all paly a role. How will you keep up?

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Briefings on Infection Control

Issue 6, December 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CDC releases draft plan for SARS preparedness and response

  As the cold weather moved in and hospitals braced for flu season, the CDC in mid-October released a...

• Dealing with media can help or hurt

  Explaining the reasons behind health care-associated infections (HAI) takes more than just a quick...

• MRSA emerges as cause of infections in athletes

  Traditionally, outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been associated...

• Train staff with self-education booklets, fact sheets

  There are several different methods for teaching staff about IC issues, including self-education...

Issue 5, November 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Groups push hand-gel dispensers in corridors, look for consensus

  industry's effort to improve hand-hygiene practices aims at reaching a consensus by the end of the...

• CDC prepares hospitals for possible SARS resurgence this winter

  The two SARS outbreaks in Toronto earlier this year proved to be trying experiences for the...

• Hospitals mull face protection for certain procedures

  Given the risk of health care workers acquiring infections on the job, some hospitals may...

• Containment helps prevent spread of infection

  When it comes to preventing hospital-associated infections, a milligram of prevention is worth a...

Issue 4, October 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Preparing for the return of SARS

  As the summer wore on, the threat of SARS faded from view. On July 5, the World Health Organization...

• Tips to better grasp the IC risk assessment's eight elements

  Although an infection control risk assessment (ICRA) can use one of several models, many people...

• Medical device firm agrees to address reprocessing

  If your facility is using reprocessed medical devices, you might want to take a second look at the...

Issue 3, September 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Education, surveillance are keys to West Nile virus preparedness

  With several human cases of West Nile virus turning up across the United States, hospital IC...

• The JCAHO adds IC goal to 2004 National Patient Safety Goals

  The JCAHO placed a little more emphasis on the work of IC professionals when it announced on July...

• IC data collection crucial to improving infection rates

  As regulatory focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections increases, the role of IC data...

• Pathogen testing at center of IC ethics debate Pathogen testing at center of

  Although there are relatively few documented cases of provider-to-patient transmission of...

Issue 2, August 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Monkeypox emerges as latest infectious disease threat

  As of press time, monkeypox-which is related to smallpox but not as contagious or lethal-caused...

• Preparation is vital to complying with JCAHO IC standards

  Individual JCAHO surveyors differ in their scoring of IC standards, which makes the survey process...

• CDC guideline on agent transmission due in 2004

  A revised guideline from the CDC on isolation precautions slated for 2004 aims to strengthen...

Issue 1, July 1, 2003 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The JCAHO's infection control focus poses challenge for hospitals

  From standards revisions to increased scrutiny from surveyors, JCAHO's renewed IC focus has...

• Antimicrobial resistance transcends clinical efforts

  Unfortunately, many physicians and their patients instead try to deal with both bacterial and viral...

• Bioterror training helped with suspected SARS case

  A Virginia hospital put its bioterrorism preparedness to the test when it successfully dealt with...

• Pre-construction risk assessment looks at IC

  Starting a construction project requires plenty of research and planning before the first...