Archive for: December, 2008
Poll question: Where are budget cuts hitting your safety and health programs?
This month Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the sixth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism. The report concluded emergency preparedness in the U.S. is at risk because of the economy. State and federal funding are down, and healthcare facilities are being forced to compensate by making budget cuts.
Not that we want to start the week on a low note, but we’re interested to know which part of you facility is getting hit in the wallet.
Sterilization FAQ’s
Operating steam sterilizers can be tricky at times, so your best bet is to consult the manufacturers instructions, since each machine is unique. Still you’re bound to run into a few questions that will go unanswered.
Luckily we’ve got some answers. Below are a three questions that healthcare professionals run into most often, along with a few online resources if you need a reference point.
Chemical storage: It’s not a library
Let’s say you have a few chemicals to store. The names read: Bromine, Butane, and Butadiene.
Instinctively you probably want to store these chemicals next to each other because it seems logical to alphabetize. However, you should know that all bromine is incompatible with both of the other two chemicals.
Medical Environment Update—Interpreting the interpretation letters
OSHA interpretation letters are intended to clear up any specific questions about standards that are sometimes particularly dense.
Well, we’re here to clear up what OSHA cleared up.
At the end of September, OSHA posted five new interpretation letters covering subjects ranging from blood samples to MSDS forms. Here are a few of the big ones.
Who’s Who in sharps injury prevention
For healthcare workers needlesticks are a serious hazard, so much so that the risk has even forced some out of the medical profession.
That’s why the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) has chosen to recognize five individuals for the 2008 International Sharps Injury Prevention Award.
While ISIPS has been at the forefront of sharps injury prevention all over the world, these people have shown exemplary work ethic behind the scenes in spreading the message of needlestick prevention.
Poll question: When was your last needlestick exposure?
Since the International Sharps Injury Prevention Society (ISIPS) has recognized five individuals for the 2008 International Sharps Injury Prevention Award, OHSA Healthcare Advisor is wondering when was the last time your facility dealt with a needlestick exposure? Answer the poll question and let us know what happened in the comments section below.
Also, be sure to download the Bloodborne pathogens post-exposure checklist in the Tools section for tips on what to do when an employee suffers a sharps injury.
Note: Adobe Flash Player is required to view this poll. To download the latest version, click here.
Hand hygiene that sticks with you
What if doctors and nurses had access to hand hygiene literally every second of the day?
With hospital acquired infection (HAI) rates being watched much more closely, hand hygiene is becoming much more crucial. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of Lebanon, NH recently released a study on the use of personal sanitizer dispensers and their effect on HAI’s.
Ask the expert—Is it against regulations to use a space heater in a physician office?
Business occupancies such as a freestanding medical and dental offices and clinics have no space heater restrictions, but other occupancy classifications do.
Medical Environment Update—Operating and maintaining your steam sterilizer
The December issue of Medical Environment Update looks at steam sterilizers in ambulatory settings, and why proper operation and maintenance is essential for quality patient care and worker safety.
For many healthcare workers, particularly in smaller facilities, autoclave protocols have simply been passed down through generations of employees, says Peg Leubbert, MS, MT(ASCP), CIC, CHSP, owner and consultant at Healthcare Interventions, Inc., in Omaha, NE. “The one thing I see commonly is that the sterilizers have been around since God created them, and no one has the original paperwork that came with it as far as the instructions and troubleshooting and so forth,” Leubbert says.
New poll question: What’s your flu vaccination rate?
The CDC has marked December 12 as “Healthcare Worker Vaccination Day” in order to increase vaccination rates among healthcare workers, and it offers resources in the way of fliers, posters and e-cards to remind staff members about the importance of annual influenza vaccinations. Also, the FDA recently posted a statement on its website urging healthcare organizations to make sure influenza vaccination programs are available to healthcare personnel. The statement is available in English, Spanish, and as a video clip.
With so much emphasis on getting vaccinated this year, what percentage of your co-workers do you think will get the shot?
Have a comment to this poll or an idea for another polling question? Post it in the comments section below.
