Safety - March 2014
Clinic employees may have been exposed to mold
Employees and patients at the Bronx Montefiore Family Health Center may have suffered respiratory illnesses due to mold
3/28/2014
Testing fire equipment for notification of off-site fire responders
Proper testing and documentation of the transmission signals to off-premises responders is one of the requirements that is often misunderstood
3/28/2014
New regulations target flame-retardant chemicals
Environments for Aging article discusses California legislation aimed at reducing the use of flame retardant chemicals in furniture, other products
3/28/2014
Facilities collaborate to fight C. diff
Healthcare facilities in Washington counties form task force to prevent infections
3/28/2014
Infection prevention failure blamed in deaths of two babies
The spread of E.coli in a neonatal ward in Swansea, Wales, where two babies died was tied to inadequate handwashing and the need to increase spacing between cots
3/27/2014
Streamlining life safety system inspections
Electronic inspection reporting can simplify the data collection, documentation and retrieval process
3/27/2014
Ignited bread in morgue latest fire at UK hospital
Wishaw General Hospital safety report includes range of fire incidents
3/26/2014
New York hospital holds active shooter drill
Nyack Hospital's emergency drill is designed to prepare for an armed intruder scenario at the hospital
3/26/2014
Hospital told to improve infection control after C. diff outbreak
Staff at the Scottish facility have been ordered to wear the correct gloves and prioritize the appropriate disposal of waste
3/25/2014
Quarterly fire system testing Q&A
In a recent Q&A on the FacilityCare website, consultant Brad Keyes answered a question on quarterly testing and inspection scheduling challenges
3/25/2014
Hospital reaches zero-infection target
CEO calls transparency, inspections and a targeted goal keys to success
3/24/2014
Lincoln hospitals hold winter storm disaster training
Emergency scenario included a winter storm, a school bus accident and a power failure
3/24/2014
Quality improvement strategies boost infection control
Concept takes on new meaning in an age of healthcare reform
3/21/2014
Study says hospital alarms pose risk for patients
A recent report by the Food and Drug Administration said that there have been nearly 560 deaths every year due to hospital alarms
3/20/2014
NH hospital personnel train for disasters
New Hampshire staffers take part in a weeklong training session in disaster response
3/20/2014
NJ healthcare facilities get smarter in fighting superbugs
Most recent CDC data show that New Jersey healthcare organizations beat national estimates
3/20/2014
WHO program improves U.S. healthcare hand hygiene
Participation in the World Health Organization global campaign to improve hand-hygiene practices is associated with improved hand hygiene, study said
3/18/2014
Inquest jury urges CO detectors after three health facility deaths
Incident at Saskatoon care facility spurs recommendation for CO detectors in all facilities, not just buildings where people stay overnight
3/17/2014
Safety measures cut risk of contaminated hospital food
New study found more than 80% of raw chicken used in hospitals was contaminated with a form of antibiotic resistant bacteria
3/17/2014
Manitoba creates fire safety task force for personal care homes
Government is dedicating $7 million annually to fire safety and sprinklers in healthcare facilities
3/14/2014
Experts advise on cleaning, disinfection of scopes
Infection Control Today asked industry experts to share their perspectives on the key issues relating to scope maintenance
3/14/2014
Feds call on hospitals to improve disaster plans
The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing new requirements for healthcare facilities to ensure their readiness to care for patients during disasters
3/13/2014
Arizona hospital launches several safety initiatives
Casa Grande Regional's 'safety week' just part of focus on patient safety
3/12/2014
Ohio hospital evacuated after chemical mix-up
A gallon of muratic acid was poured into a barrel of chlorine by an employee working in a pool area
3/11/2014
Manitoba won't make sprinkler systems mandatory in care facilities
Canadian province creating task force to improve fire safety in personal care homes
3/11/2014
Children's hospital groups stress patient, family and caregiver hand washing
Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety and the Children's Hospital Association offer safety tips for patient families
3/11/2014
One in five U.S. health facilities don't put hand sanitizer everywhere needed
Study also found that only about half of the facilities had set aside funds in their budgets for hand-hygiene training
3/10/2014
British Columbia requires either masks or flu shots of hospital visitors
Piles of masks have been added to the antiseptic soap dispensers and hand-washing reminders at entrances to those facilities
3/7/2014
Video-monitoring in hospitals complicates privacy question
Video-monitoring has become more common as high-quality, inexpensive technology has become increasingly accessible
3/6/2014
CMS rule on emergency preparedness would establish national requirements
All healthcare providers that receive Medicare reimbursement funds, including hospitals, critical access hospitals, nursing homes and ambulatory care surgeries would be affected
3/5/2014
Could MRI be hacking opportunity?
Report says healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors will experience the highest level of attacks involving 'Internet of things'
3/4/2014
Researching disaster helps hospital plan
Implementation of new procedures saves lives in subsequent emergency
3/4/2014
Surviving a disaster can change emergency plan
It is the facility manager's job to make sure disaster's lesson isn't learned at the expense of lives
3/4/2014
Washington state hospital worker safety bill passes
The bill would increase the penalty for assaulting an employee, contractor, intern or volunteer of a state hospital
3/3/2014
Nonprofit organization launches sustainable product registry
Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute seeks greater transparency from manufacturers
3/3/2014
Managing clinical alarm systems
Patient safety issues often signal problems with inappropriate alarm use, ineffective alarm coverage or delayed alarm response
3/3/2014