Education of general staff about drug diversion is essential to any diversion program. Clinical staff are often unaware of the scope of the problem and what is at stake. Even in large facilities, staff are often close-knit and extremely trusting of each other. This trust is often magnified in...
Ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) face unique challenges in fire safety and compliance. For example, the fire extinguisher used in an ASC may be different than the one used in a hospital due to the ASC’s unique environment and potential hazards. It's not just about meeting the standards—it's...
Thinking about spring cleaning? Be sure to include clearing out drugs, biologicals, medical supplies, and devices that are expired, and to double-check that equipment maintenance for even the smallest items has been done on time.
Training and education in any professional role can help individuals improve their skills and learning competencies. Training and education opportunities, however, often get sidelined by day-to-day duties and lost in performance reviews. That should not be the case, and certainly when it comes...
As CMS begins focusing more on emergency preparedness planning, review your hospital’s plans to ensure they include how the facility will handle a patient surge during civic unrest. Preparation for civic unrest unfortunately must be a part of any medical facility’s emergency planning, say...
Eyewash stations pose some of the most frequent problems during survey. But they don’t have to, says Richard L. Parker, CHFM, CLSS-HC, FACHE, FASHE, associate director of life safety and physical environment for the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). Ask yourself one key question:...
Hospitals seeking to develop a workplace violence prevention program must do so with a multidisciplinary team in order for the program to be comprehensive and effective. This team should be led by the designated leader and encompass members from various key departments in the hospital, including...
Workplace violence in healthcare remains a serious matter. About 73% of all nonfatal workplace violence-related injuries involved healthcare workers in 2018, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There is not one hospital in the United States that is immune from disasters, whether caused by internal system failures or events externally directed at them and the communities they serve. Yet many of the nation’s healthcare organizations make preparedness a low priority and fail to build the...
