Hospital Employee Health 2003-08-01

CDC: Few hospitals have complete team of smallpox responders

Fewer than half of the nations acute care hospitals have vaccinated even a single employee against smallpox, and only 235 have vaccinated a response team of at least 25 employees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported. That means hospitals will need to consider other mechanisms to ensure bioterrorism preparedness, CDC experts said.

N95 mask may provide less protection than believed

As cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) decline worldwide, questions remain about one of the major tools for protecting health care workers: Just how effective is the N95 filtering facepiece respirator?

Monkeypox underscores infection risk to HCWs

Reports of possible hospital transmission of monkeypox once again highlight the risk of newly emerging infectious diseases for health care workers and the need for vigilant infection control and swift identification of cases.

Is hand hygiene the key to the SARS puzzle?

Surface contamination may be an important method of transmission of the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Nasal flu vaccine is something to sniff at

Health care workers soon will be able to receive their influenza vaccines with a couple of sniffs instead of a shot in the arm.

Antineoplastic drug exposure raises concern

Health care workers may continue to be exposed to dangerous antineoplastic drugs, even if they follow recommended precautions for handling the drugs.

More hospitals subject to ‘wall-to-wall’ inspections

As many as 170 hospitals could be subject to wall-to-wall inspections this year under the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administrations targeted inspection program.

Close call: CDC has a direct line for clinicians

Bioterrorism has changed the way the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention communicates with clinicians for the better.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: Joint Commission’s request for fatal infection data may yield little meaningful prevention information

Infection control professionals attempting to comply with accreditors and do a root-cause analysis of fatal nosocomial infections must set narrow patient definitions and work closely with their quality improvement colleagues if any meaningful prevention data are to come out of the controversial initiative, an ICP warned.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: JCAHO posts 2004 infection standards

Overview: The goal of the surveillance, prevention, and control of infection function is to identify and reduce risks of acquiring and transmitting infections among and between patients, staff, physicians and other licensed independent practitioners, contract service workers, volunteers, students, and visitors. Surveillance, prevention, and control of infection covers a broad range of processes and activities, both in direct patient care and in patient care support, that are coordinated and carried out by the hospital.

JCAHO Update for Infection Control: Law to ensure confidential reporting of errors

National patient safety legislation that would encourage the confidential reporting of medical errors is critically needed in todays health care system, urged Dennis OLeary, MD, president of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

Hospital Employee Health – August 1, 2003

August 1, 2003