At any given moment, the intensity level within the ICU at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston can shift from relatively low to dangerously high. For clinicians, this shift is often instinctual, but difficult to grasp. A flurry of new patients may suddenly require more...
Antibiotic resistance has reached a "tipping point," according to a Vital Signs report released in August by the CDC. Internal hospital controls are no longer sufficient to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Now, healthcare providers across the country should be...
Massachusetts General Hospital agreed to pay $2.3 million as part of a settlement over allegations that its shoddy drug supply controls led to employees stealing pain medication.
A new Sentinel Event Alert (SEA) issued by The Joint Commission this week urges healthcare facilities to take action to prevent falls and fall-related injuries.
The topic of alarm hazards has crowned ECRI's top 10 list of health technology hazards for the last four years. It's no wonder: Spend any amount of time in a hospital, either as an employee or a visitor, and you are bound to be greeted by a barrage of beeps, various alarms, and other sounds....
A new report from Health Quality Ontario and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute details 15 preventable events that should never happen in a hospital.
In the wake of recent outbreaks related to contaminated devices, the Food and Drug Administration last week issued new safety recommendations for healthcare facilities that reprocess flexible bronchoscopes.
When The Joint Commission released its list of the five most-cited standards for the first half of 2015, it was not surprising that infection control, specifically IC.02.02.01 (reduction of infection risk from equipment, devices, and supplies), jumped into the second spot. This is an excerpt...
