Helmets evaluated for infection protections
The April issue of Health Devices, published by ECRI, a nonprofit health services research agency based in Plymouth Meeting, PA, evaluates six surgical helmet systems from three manufacturers. The article examines how well the systems protect patients against deep-wound infections and health care workers against splashes and aerosolized particles.
Surgical helmet systems are used during orthopedic procedures to prevent skin and other particles from the surgeon's face from falling into the open surgical site. They also protect staff from bloodborne pathogens and potentially infectious aerosols generated by power tools during orthopedic procedures.
Also included with the evaluation is another article that considers the infection risks present during orthopedic procedures and alternative measures that may already be in place to reduce these risks.
To purchase a copy of the April issue of Health Devices, contact ECRI at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. Telephone: (610) 825-6000. Fax: (610) 834-1275. *
Joint Commission board approves 1996 action plan
At its January meeting, the board of commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, based in Oakbrook Terrace, IL, approved the 1996 Action Plan. The plan defines the Joint Commission's operational priorities for the coming year and seeks continued improvement in the accreditation process as its basic objective.
Salient points of the '96 action plan include:
* Responsiveness: Improvement of helpfulness ratings for telephone responsiveness and correspondence.
* Duplication reduction: Completion of the state-by-state cataloging of duplicative external review activities and initiation of strategies to reduce duplication in selected states.
* Standards: Assessment of consistency in the interpretation and application of the new performance-based standards.
* Pre-survey process: Implementation of the automated survey scheduling system that matches surveyor characteristics to organization characteristics.
* Survey process: Improved integration of the survey process for organizations, especially small hospitals, that offer multiple, diverse services.
* Post-survey process: Reduction of the average survey report turnaround time to about 45 days by year-end. *
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