Medical Environment Update—Managing healthcare workers with bloodborne diseases
OSHA focuses on patient–to–healthcare worker transmission, but how do you mitigate the risk to patients?
That is the feature topic in the February issue of Medical Environment Update, which specifically looks at healthcare worker-to-patient transmission instead of the more typical patient-to-healthcare worker transmission that one finds with needlesticks. The feature article looks at complying with state regulations and recommendations from healthcare professional organizations, assessing exposure risks, defining exposure-prone invasive procedures, and ADA considerations.
Here is an excerpt from that article and a look at what else is covered in the February issue.
Weekly poll: Do you have AEDs in you facility?
February is American Heart Month, and as mentioned in a previous post, automated external defibrillators (AED) can be an important lifesaving device in workplaces.
Of the 220,000 victims of sudden cardiac arrest per year in the United States, about 10,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur at work. Waiting for emergency personnel to arrive results in only 5-7% survival, but immediate defibrillation can increase those odds to 60% survival one year after sudden cardiac arrest, says OSHA.
Does your facility have AEDs? Answer our poll question below.
Shedding the self-sacrificing paradigm among healthcare workers
When stakeholders offer a piece of their collective mind during the “OSHA Listens” public meeting on Feb. 10, those in the healthcare industry would do well to reflect the thoughts of NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D on self-sacrifice in the context of occupational health and safety, appearing in last month’s NIOSH eNews.
As a physician in an acute-care hospital setting, Howard has heard the work of his profession—some even refer to it as a calling—described as noble or self-sacrificing, and admits “these descriptions are flattering and are, in some cases, accurate.” [Healthcare workers responding to the Haitian earthquake relief effort is a prime example]. He warns, however about the danger of characterizing routine work as self-sacrificing in any industry, especially healthcare.
Heart Month tip: Consider automated external defibrillators for your workplace
February is American Heart Month, and along with individuals’ assessing their part in responding to the leading cause of death in the United States, employers have an important decision, too.
“Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are an important lifesaving technology and may have a role to play in treating workplace cardiac arrest,” according OSHA’s AEDs in the Workplace safety and health page.
CDC recommends surgical masks during spinal procedures
In last week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC offered a reminder to healthcare workers that surgical masks are recommended during spinal procedures to prevent infections.
