Medical Environment Update - Volume 35, Issue 2

Personal devices in the lab: Balancing efficiency and infection control

February 18, 2025
Infection Control, Laboratory Safety

Personal electronic devices—cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, etc.—have become ubiquitous in our lives, but their use in laboratory environments poses significant safety risks. For hospital labs, which handle sensitive specimens and play a critical role in patient care, the challenge lies in...

Patient Safety Monitor Journal - Volume 26, Issue 1

CDC reports overall decline in HAIs in 2023

January 27, 2025
Infection Control, Patient Safety, Policies and Procedures

In the CDC’s most recent progress report on healthcare-associated infections (HAI), the agency found that between 2022 and 2023, there were major decreases in central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ventilator-associated...

Patient Safety Monitor Journal - Volume 26, Issue 1

Prevent nursing home infections through vaccinations

January 21, 2025
Infection Control, Patient Safety, Physical environment

According to the CDC’s November 21, 2024, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), vaccination rates among nursing home and long-term care residents are low.

Medical Environment Update - Volume 35, Issue 1

What you need to know about lab preparedness for viral hemorrhagic fevers

January 13, 2025
Healthcare Staff, Infection Control, Laboratory Safety

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), such as Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, represent an ongoing threat even if their chance of occurrence on U.S. soil may seem low. These highly infectious diseases not only carry a high mortality rate but also present unique challenges for hospital...

Medical Environment Update - Volume 34, Issue 12

Lab safety in 2025: What’s on the horizon?

December 30, 2024
Infection Control, Laboratory Safety

As we leave 2024 behind us, laboratory safety officers and staff should look ahead to the challenges and promises 2025 will bring. Some lab safety issues will remain evergreen, such as sharps safety and personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance. Meanwhile, things like emerging diseases,...

Medical Environment Update - Volume 34, Issue 12

Lab safety in 2024: A review of the year

December 16, 2024
Fire & Life Safety, Infection Control, Laboratory Safety, Workplace safety

The year draws to a close, and it’s time for laboratory safety workers to look back at all the laboratory safety stories and topics we’ve covered this year. After all, many lab safety issues from 2024 will cross over with us into 2025.

Mac's Safety Space - Volume 8, Issue 12

New Jersey leads the way

December 9, 2024
Infection Control, Physical environment

To frame the conversation, the state of New Jersey is in the process of implementing one of the (if not the) most comprehensive regulatory requirements relative to the management of water as a function of waterborne illnesses. Certainly, the folks in healthcare are already managing these risks,...

Mac's Safety Space - Volume 18, Issue 10

Water, water everywhere—and all of it eligible for survey!

October 8, 2024
Accreditation & Survey Preparation, Infection Control

For those of you keeping tabs on the regulatory landscape, you might already know that the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has initiated a new standard—ST108—that defines levels of water quality suitable for various stages of medical device processing, with the...

Patient Safety Monitor Journal - Volume 25, Issue 9

Don’t contaminate the bloodstreams, Part 2

September 24, 2024
Infection Control, Patient Safety

We continue our interview with Ivan W. Gowe, MS, MLS (ASCP)CM, CIC, FAPIC, a hospital infection preventionist in North Carolina, and Ashley Reyes, MPH, CIC, an infection preventionist from Pardee UNC Health, on bloodstream infections (BSI) and how to prevent them.

Patient Safety Monitor Journal - Volume 25, Issue 9

Don’t contaminate the bloodstreams, Part 1

September 17, 2024
Infection Control, Patient Safety

Within healthcare, bloodstream infections (BSI) are an evergreen danger for patients. Caused when bacteria enter a patient’s bloodstream via a laceration or the insertion of a medical device, BSI prevention is a topic that infection preventionists are constantly working on.To learn more about...

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