Fill in the blank: Medication storage areas should be designed to address at least three things. One is to ensure the stability and integrity of the medications being stored. The second is to prevent diversion. The third is _________________.
One in three hospitals eligible for The Joint Commission's 'top performer' status has provided an evidence-based care practice 95% of the time for patients with certain conditions.
In our ongoing series (okay, perhaps that’s a rather ambitious descriptor, but there’s been more than one) relative to the upcoming implementation of the changes to OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard, you might find the information regarding the required pictograms helpful in getting your...
During an emergency, the hospital should determine the level of control that is needed for the particular event at hand. How could you control access while maintaining essential functions?
Most clinicians have probably done it. They might do it out in the open or sneak it in when supervisors aren't watching. Some might do it several times a day, while others might not even realize they're doing it. What are all these people doing? Workarounds.
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 11
Think back to your last visit to a hospital as a patient or family member. Every patient care area has recognizable, ubiquitous items, such as automated blood pressure pumps, compression pumps, and IV pumps. But how do you know if those items were cleaned and/or disinfected? Were they used with...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 11
On August 27, CMS released significant changes impacting several areas of the Conditions of Participation (CoP). Interestingly, the information included in Transmittal 88 on August 27 rescinded and replaced a relatively recent update, Transmittal 86, on July 19.
The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has awarded a $100,000 grant for a patient safety research project that will examine the mechanisms underlying patient falls in hospitals. The group of researchers and architects will then offer recommendations for improved facility...
Briefings on Accreditation & Quality - Volume 24, Issue 11
Overall, BAs have been involved in about 22% of the more than 600 breaches that have been reported on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website from September 2009 through August 2013, affecting a total of about 22.5 million individuals, according to a health data breach...
Central line infections still plague hospitals. Reducing them is a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG.07.04.01) and they represent a CMS "never event" that is reported publicly on its Hospital Compare website. Unfortunately, central lines are necessary,...
