The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a great many things for healthcare, but it may have a particularly lasting impact on infection prevention programs. As the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology commented in a statement, “The pandemic has highlighted the need to strengthen infection prevention and...
Nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic suffered overwhelmingly from "moral distress," says a new study from researchers at DePaul University’s School of Nursing in Chicago. The study's purpose was to qualitatively describe the emotions experienced by U.S. nurses during the initial...
Nurses on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic suffered overwhelmingly from "moral distress," says a new study from researchers at DePaul University’s School of Nursing in Chicago. The study's purpose was to qualitatively describe the emotions experienced by U.S. nurses during the initial...
The establishment of mandatory sepsis protocols at all hospitals in New York State is estimated to have saved more than 16,000 lives between 2015 and 2019, according to the New York State Department of Health.
The mandatory sepsis protocols in New York were implemented in 2013 following...
In my travels, all too often I’ve found that some organizations don’t have the most organized approach to bringing unoccupied spaces back online. And it’s just not stuff (including debris) that got left behind—there may be new tenants occupying the space for which their new living arrangements...
More widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR) would not only be a patient safety nightmare, but it would put healthcare workers at risk as well, including employees working in hospitals, nursing homes, and laboratories. To slow down this potential scenario, effective antibiotic stewardship...
When sending specimens outside the lab for testing or other purposes, there are many things to consider. Not just anyone in the laboratory can prepare the specimens for shipment; specific training is required. Staff need to know how to pack the specimens, how to keep themselves and the...
You may need to update your policies, processes, and procedures for the cleaning and storage of endoscopes now that the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has an updated version...
