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Health care workers contracted the novel H1N1 influenza A pandemic virus from undiagnosed patients with respiratory symptoms and from fellow employees who came to work sick. But even when they knew they were caring for patients with novel H1N1, many health care workers did not use all of the personal protective equipment [PPE] that is recommended.
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Amid the backdrop of a worldwide influenza pandemic, hospitals received a new model for protecting health care workers from airborne diseases: Landmark regulation from California that provides a comprehensive approach to the hazards of airborne infectious diseases.
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Should health care workers wear respirators when caring for patients with novel H1N1? In mid-June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was considering a shift from airborne precautions to droplet precautions, which would mean that health care workers would wear surgical masks when caring for patients. Respirators would still be recommended for aerosol-generating procedures.
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The rural Iowa community of Marshalltown may seem an unlikely place to be an epicenter of a new pandemic. But this spring, the town of about 26,000 coped with a sudden outbreak of novel H1N1, demonstrating why pandemic preparedness is so important for every hospital.
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Some hospitals have virtually eliminated annual fit-testing by relying on powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). But the advent of novel H1N1 brings into focus a reality of pandemic preparedness: You're going to need to conduct just-in-time fit-testing despite the PAPR use.
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There's more to needle safety than a safety device. That conclusion, simple as it may sound, led BJC Healthcare in St. Louis to analyze the environment of care and clinical technique as it seeks to reduce injuries from subcutaneous injections.
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Reducing bloodborne pathogen exposures remains a primary concern for employee health nurses, according to a survey of members by the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP).
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Over the years, emergency medicine physicians and pediatricians have been sued many times for failure to recognize and report non-accidental trauma and vulnerable children. Unfortunately, there are a number of ways to go wrong when it comes to reporting child abuse, and there are three recognized liability issues: A liability for failure to report suspected abuse, liability for reporting suspected abuse and liability for unauthorized release of confidential information during the course of reporting.
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Use of excessive force. Misapplication of restraints. Failing to follow standards from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) or The Joint Commission. Any of these practices can result in a liability claim from an ED patient for injuries arising from restraint.
