Hospital
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Frontline safety issues are not always heard by hospital and health system leaders
When hospital leaders conduct safety rounds at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System in Baltimore, MD, they don’t rely on just friendly chat and a checklist of policies and procedures.
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Malpractice can begin at the front desk with simple errors by admissions staff
Seemingly simple errors at the front desk can have devastating effects on patient safety and may expose the hospital to litigation that is more damaging than malpractice lawsuits, warns a lawyer who has studied the issue.
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Accidental phone call creates HIPAA quandary for employees
The typical requests for patient information are easy to understand for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, but staff members will face unusual situations that test their confidence and prompt them to play it safe by not disclosing.
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Denying Release of PHI can be a HIPAA Violation
For 20 years now, risk managers have drilled into their staffs the importance of HIPAA compliance. But has that message been oversold?
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Vaccinated HCWs Can Still Acquire Measles, Expose Patients
Even workers with a history of measles vaccination or immunity should wear an N95 or equivalent respiratory protection when examining or caring for patients with suspected or confirmed measles, says Shruti K. Gohil, MD, lead author of a recent study on the issue and associate medical director of Epidemiology & Infection Prevention at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
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25% of HCWs May Refuse to Treat Patients in Next Pandemic Threat
Based on the historical precedents of HIV/AIDS and Ebola, some 25% of healthcare workers may refuse to treat patients with the next novel pandemic pathogen that is perceived as life-threatening, researchers report in a fascinating new attitudinal study.
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Preventing Sexual Transmission of Zika, Case in Dallas Prompts CDC guidelines
It was not entirely unexpected that emerging Zika virus could transmit sexually — as it has now done in the first case acquired in the U.S. — but it jolted a public health narrative that was primarily focused on mosquitoes, pregnancy, and birth defects.
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Puerto Rico Bracing for Possible Zika Epidemic
Zika is establishing a foothold in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which has ongoing transmission of the virus and spread is projected to increase, the CDC reports.
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Zika Questions Abound, but Standard Precautions Will Stop it
The Zika virus outbreak spreading through the Americas is raising a host of questions for U.S. infection preventionists, who are trying to keep staff informed on the unfolding public health aspects while emphasizing that standard precautions and safe injection practices will prevent transmission in healthcare settings.
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Should infection control research be IRB exempt?
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology warns that proposed revisions to the Common Rule may have unintended consequences if infection prevention research is not excluded from approval by IRBs.