Safety - October 2014
Fire-rated door frame Q&A
In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question about fire-rated door frames
10/31/2014
Hospitals review infection control practices amid Ebola fears
Experts say renewed education and training efforts may lead to more hospitals revamping their protocols and being more prepared in the future
10/30/2014
Ebola risk management tips for healthcare facilities
Internal risk management strategy should include the establishment of policies, training and demonstrable due diligence
10/30/2014
N.Y. prison expands medical facility
$32 million expansion of the Mohawk Correctional Facility designed to be safer and more cost-effective
10/30/2014
Download free whitepaper on hand hygiene
Paper on Infection Control Today website discusses the effects of hand hygiene on skin
10/29/2014
Mandatory Ebola quarantine criticized
Doctors Without Borders, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology disagree with the states' actions
10/28/2014
Pittsburgh facility ups hand-hygiene compliance to nearly 100 percent
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian initiative includes education and accountability measures
10/27/2014
NYC healthcare workers readying for Ebola
Workers urged to calm rampant public fears over Ebola
10/24/2014
Hospital security departments bracing for Ebola impact
Hospitals are re-examining their plans to ensure they are prepared to meet the challenges
10/23/2014
CDC issues stronger standards for Ebola healthcare workers
Updated protocols include personal protective equipment that covers the entire body and leaves no skin exposed
10/22/2014
Ebola units have few rooms
Only four hospitals in the country have high-level containment units and each has the capacity to treat only a handful of Ebola patients at once
10/22/2014
Ebola preparedness urged for clinics
Stand-alone clinics need to prepare themselves for patients with Ebola-like symptoms
10/21/2014
Ebola raises concerns over infection controls
The track record of the nation's hospitals in controlling other infections suggests a lot of them aren't prepared
10/21/2014
Iowa hospital works to decrease patient falls
Horn Memorial Hospital, Ida Grove, was one of three Iowa hospitals to be recognized by the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative for their success in significantly reducing their patient fall rate
10/21/2014
Improving hand-washing compliance
Hospitals are adopting direct observation, education and creative signage initiatives to increase hand washing among staff
10/21/2014
Appropriate technology key to hospital security
The goal should be balancing the need for a secure environment and allowing staff and visitors to move through a facility without too much hassle
10/20/2014
Ebola a workplace issue for healthcare facilities
Hospitals focusing on training, communication to diminish risk and worry
10/17/2014
Saskatoon hospitals warn of thefts
Hospitals advise greater precautions to deal with thefts from patients
10/17/2014
What if a flu pandemic were to happen tomorrow?
As part of a pandemic plan, hospitals should work with a security provider to focus on crowd control and restricted access or 'lockdowns'
10/17/2014
Hospital security a growing concern
Shootings, privacy breaches and theft are just some of the challenges that hospitals face daily
10/17/2014
Health officials discussing designated Ebola hospitals
Bellevue Hospital Center has agreed to take confirmed cases of Ebola from the 11 hospitals within the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.
10/16/2014
CDC's how-to on treating Ebola safely
New York Times article includes instructions, charts and graphics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
10/16/2014
Nurses at Dallas hospital say there were no Ebola protocols
Union says guidelines were constantly changing on how to deal with the virus
10/16/2014
Many nursing homes still lack sprinklers
A total of 385 facilities in 39 states fail to meet requirements set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
10/16/2014
Hospitals can learn from Dallas' Ebola mistakes
U.S. hospitals are concerned that more Ebola patients will emerge, pushing them to buy more protective equipment, build new isolation rooms
10/15/2014
Surgical fire prevention strategies
Between 550 and 650 surgical fires occur each year in the U.S.
10/15/2014
New case raises questions about treating Ebola in all hospitals
CDC considering whether patients with the virus should be transferred to hospitals with special containment units
10/14/2014
Firefighting in hospitals takes specialized training
One of the most complicated types of facilities that a firefighter will ever respond to is a healthcare center
10/14/2014
Infection-control problems found in Connecticut hospital
Community Health Services cited for inadequate handling of patients who arrive with a cough, fever or rash; unsanitary conditions and poor sterilization procedures
10/13/2014
Ensuring health facility firewall integrity
Constant construction, renovation and maintenance projects in hospitals can lead to compromises in firewall barriers
10/13/2014
Connecticut hospitals gear up for Ebola
Hospitals in the region say they have quarantine rooms at the ready
10/13/2014
A day at a Liberian Ebola clinic
An article in The New York Times examines a single day at the newly opened Ebola treatment center run by the International Medical Corps.
10/10/2014
Stabbed surgeon calls for safety boost in Australian hospitals
Secure entrances for hospital staff, restricted access to wards and regular security patrols of public areas urged for facilities
10/10/2014
California hospital gets seismic safety reprieve
New law allows Sutter Memorial Hospital to operate until Sept. 1, 2015 without meeting state earthquake safety rules
10/10/2014
U.S. has the healthcare system to stop Ebola
America has the facilities and equipment, public sanitation and communications infrastructure to contain outbreak
10/8/2014
Hand hygiene improves with monitoring
Study says healthcare workers' hand-hygiene compliance is better when other workers are present
10/8/2014
Feds may be lowering safety standards for Ebola waste
The Healthcare Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (HCEP) says the government will be lowering standards for disposing of Ebola waste in Dallas
10/7/2014
Calif. guv OKs one hospital workplace safety bill, vetoes another
Gov. Jerry Brown signed bill which imposes new requirements on hospitals for workplace violence plans and reporting
10/7/2014
Hospital security can help contain Ebola virus
Policies and personnel can play a role in preventing the spread of Ebola
10/6/2014
Indiana health network forms its own police force
Parkview Health in Fort Wayne is first network in the state to have it's own force
10/6/2014
Dealing with infectious disease
Issues hospitals should consider before handling an Ebola patient
10/3/2014
Temporary staffing in healthcare security
Careful planning can help ensure that regardless of the situation, it's (safe and secure) business as usual for your hospital
10/3/2014
UK hospital chlorine contamination sparks police investigation
Two patient deaths are linked to contaminated water with chlorine levels 16 times higher than accepted as safe
10/2/2014
Study says shark-skin-inspired surface helps control MRSA
Coating surfaces with microscopic bumps could limit the transmission of bacterial infections
10/2/2014