Summer is officially over, and the clocks will fall back an hour in a month. It’s a time of transition as people bring out their fall clothes, enjoy spiced drinks, and ready themselves for colder weather and longer nights. It’s also time for your laboratory and staff to make the needed safety...
Before COVID-19, deaths from antimicrobial resistance were headed in the right direction, decreasing by nearly 30% in hospitals between 2012 and 2017. But in 2020, resistant hospital-onset infections and deaths both increased by 15% compared to 2019.
There is a new “pox” on lab safety—monkeypox. Like the most recent novel virus (COVID-19), the unknowns about the monkeypox virus are creating new safety concerns for laboratorians, and it is now time to nip unnecessary fears in the bud. Safety leaders can accomplish this through preparation and...
I run a small, independent practice out of Arlington, Texas. And when I say “small practice,” I mean that it’s just me—along with my nurse and my administrator who runs the front desk. We serve everyday people in the greater Arlington-Dallas area, and most of our patients are regulars. Sometimes...
Today’s care coordination is often a manual and time-consuming process that depends on hard-copy patient lists, notes, and other physical documentation. Improving this state of affairs has historically involved throwing people at the problem—dedicating hours and staff to tasks like closing care...
The CDC has updated its guidance on infection control of monkeypox for healthcare settings, reminding providers that any case suspected of being of the more deadly Congo Basin clade requires more extensive precautions, including the handling of hazardous medical waste (HMW). Any medical waste...
When you’re the only critical access hospital around for hundreds of miles, you’d better have the resources for treating patients in need of emergency care—or the means for quickly and effectively getting patients to the care they need.
I am often asked how somebody responsible for laboratory safety, yet with other duties to fulfill, can do the job well. Today’s labs have tight staffing, tight budgeting, and a score of regulatory duties that must be accomplished—not all of which revolve around safety.
