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The basic premise of worker safety is to provide layers of protection. If each layer is sufficiently flawed, the protection is compromised. That is the lesson of a recent Health Hazard Evaluation in an Arizona hospital, where 18 employees had a TB skin test conversion in 2011 and one employee developed active tuberculosis.
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Failing to keep your exposure control plan up to date could lead to a citation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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As the lines blur between patient safety and worker safety, employee health professionals can expect much more scrutiny from regulators who traditionally focused on patient care.
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Sharps injuries rank eighth in the top 10 device hazards of 2012, according to ECRI Institute, a research organization and evidence-based practice center based in Plymouth Meeting, PA. That places sharps injuries on par with surgical fires (No. 7) and anesthesia hazards due to incomplete pre-use inspection (No. 9).
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Gaps in your respiratory protection program can create unnecessary hazards for your employees. A survey of hospitals in California and the Midwest has revealed those weaknesses. For example, health care workers often receive minimal training and are confused about which respirator to use for aerosol-generating procedures.
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Would you take a pledge to raise awareness about sharps injuries and use safer devices? A new coalition called Safe in Common is traversing the country, seeking signed pledges as a way to jumpstart a renewed commitment to sharps injury prevention.
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If a psychiatric patient is being sent home, the EP must determine if there is proper follow-up available for that patient, which means connecting the patient with appropriate resources, says Leslie Zun, MD, MBA, professor and chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and Chicago (IL) Medical School.
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Whether a patient sues after learning an initially normal finding was re-read as abnormal has something to do with how the emergency physician (EP) approaches the situation.
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A young man presented to an emergency department (ED) and reported hallucinations after taking over-the-counter herbal stimulants and diphenhydramine. The ED diagnosis was acute psychosis resolved.
