Safety - April 2014
Hospital safety under fire after stabbings
Incidents at two Los Angeles County medical centers spur call for greater focus on hospital security
4/30/2014
Video surveillance of hand hygiene
Study says video surveillance has comparable results to in-person observation when measuring hand-hygiene compliance
4/30/2014
Nebraska hospital hosts mass-casualty incident exercise
Exercise gives hospital and ambulance staff the chance to adjust and adapt to a chaotic situation
4/29/2014
One year after flood, Illinois hospital is more prepared
Newly poured four-foot-tall concrete wall could be Morris Hospital's saving grace this flood season
4/28/2014
Most U.S. health facilities have good hand-hygiene programs
WHO survey of hand-hygiene initiatives shows that nearly all respondent programs rank as adequate or better
4/25/2014
U.K. hospital adopts new infection control guide
Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth adopts National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards
4/25/2014
Hospital produces infection prevention video
Cambridge University Hospital video guides staff, patients and visitors through a six-step hand-washing process
4/25/2014
Behavioral health facility extends real-time locating system's reach
Western Maryland Regional Medical Center uses RTLS technology to monitor patient movements, prevent elopement
4/23/2014
Boston hospitals apply lessons learned from bombing
A year after being packed with blast victims, Boston facilities have changed how they prepare for a disaster
4/23/2014
Tips for improving hand hygiene compliance
Hand hygiene averages well below 50 percent compliance in many healthcare facilities
4/23/2014
Man shoots himself at Johns Hopkins days after hospital safety symposium
Experts at the national symposium on how medical professionals can stay safe said it can be difficult to restrict guns entirely
4/22/2014
Long Island hospital updates security to prepare for emergencies
The improvements at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital include advanced surveillance cameras and a card reader to restrict access to one area of the hospital
4/22/2014
Renewed focus on operating room's role in infection prevention
Nurses association says a greater degree of evaluation of the cleaning and disinfection performed in operating rooms is needed
4/22/2014
Florida medical center renovated to increase security
The psychiatric treatment center is being completely redone. New ceilings, walls and safety features, such as alarms, are being installed
4/22/2014
Communication badges can help when staff are at risk
Badges have one button to summon coworkers for less urgent assistance. A second button can call security if the situation escalates.
4/22/2014
Hospital increases security after woman pushed down stairs
Attack part of theft, purse-snatching on HealthAlliance Leominster, Mass., campus
4/21/2014
Kansas hospital implements new safety program
Via Christi Hospital officials are working to enhance patient safety by creating a more collaborative environment
4/21/2014
New fire safety regs proposed for hospitals
Fire safety standards from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services address everything from automatic sprinkler systems to the size of patients' rooms and where to store medical equipment
4/21/2014
Patrols increased after 'fluke' shooting in hospital parking lot
Massachusetts' Baystate Medical Center security chief says hospital is safe, incidents of violence rare
4/17/2014
Four things to know about cyber surveillance
By adopting user-activity monitoring, healthcare providers can record every action of users accessing sensitive data, getting cyber surveillance to match the video surveillance they have in the physical world
4/17/2014
Ohio hospitals hold mass-casualty exercise
Hospitals, emergency responders, health departments and coroners in northwestern Ohio take part in an emergency preparedness exercise to make sure hospitals are prepared for a mass casualty response
4/16/2014
Looking beyond staff to create a safe facility
'Prevention through design' can lead to safer healthcare facilities
4/16/2014
Most common hospital fire code violations
Having fire protection equipment in place at a hospital isn't enough to minimize risk to staff and patients and ensure compliance. Fire code violations can include anything from improperly installed equipment to a missed service date
4/15/2014
Hospital's web-based training improves worker safety
"5 Minutes With" podcast on Facilitiesnet talks to Bill Warren of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital
4/15/2014
Putting new facilities to the test
Healthcare Design magazine article discusses 'clinical operations commissioning' to identify and eliminate operational risks before the healthcare facility's doors open
4/15/2014
Hospital kitchens source for drug resistant bacteria
After handling raw poultry, hands of food preparers and cutting boards remain a source of transmission for multi-drug resistant bacteria, study shows
4/14/2014
'Keep the Coat' campaign launched in defense of lab coats
Initiative advocates for healthcare workers to keep their white coats as a defense against contaminants
4/14/2014
UK hospitals launch safety project to reduce hospital falls
A new approach to improve safety and prevent falls in hospitals has been introduced across Doncaster, Rotherham and North Lincolnshire
4/14/2014
UNM Hospital staff trains at FEMA facility
Disaster preparedness training covers mass casualty incidents to catastrophic natural disasters and terror attacks
4/11/2014
New, past violent events spark facility emergency drills
Healthcare leaders see disaster exercises and planning paying off
4/10/2014
Hospitals simulate infectious disease disaster
Eight Minnesota facilities participate in a disaster drill portraying a widespread infectious disease breakout
4/9/2014
California nursing home safety bill advances
The legislation would establish timelines and procedures for completing an investigation into alleged abuse within a long-term care facility
4/9/2014
Liverpool hospital's safety rating puts donations at risk
Alder Hey Children's Hospital may lose 4 million-pound gift after poor report
4/8/2014
Many hospital infections commonly found directly outside facilities
Researchers tested cultures taken from surfaces, mostly doors from local businesses, less than 1.5 miles from six hospitals
4/8/2014
Greenville hospital shifting police security to unarmed guards
Vidant Medical Center plans to cut the number of sworn police officers at the North Carolina hospital by more than half
4/7/2014
Canadian hospitals recognized for security programs
Security programs at six hospitals have received the Program of Distinction Award from the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety
4/7/2014
Healthcare workers identify infection-control barriers
Research shows patient-care demands and availability of equipment among the perceived problems
4/7/2014
Survey says Canadian hospitals not clean enough
Only 62 percent of lead infection-control staff believe their hospital is sufficiently clean
4/4/2014
Study looks at hand hygiene in resource-limited facilities
Researchers evaluate hand-hygiene adherence in Ethiopia after WHO campaign
4/4/2014
CDC releases up-to-date report on hospital-acquired-infection estimates
Report shows the incidence of HAIs has slightly decreased, with the 2011 data estimating 721,800 infections
4/3/2014
Maryland hospitals' hand-hygiene compliance rises
State reaches an average of 87 percent compliance at 44 of its acute-care hospitals and one of its specialty hospitals in 2013, up from 81 percent two years ago
4/3/2014
New security measures in place at Milwaukee hospital after shooting
The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office has instituted a new security policy for Children's Hospital after police shot a wanted felon inside the hospital last November
4/2/2014
Healthcare facilities need more physical security
White paper suggests facility managers should increase their security budgets to combat street-level criminality as well as potential terrorist threats
4/2/2014
Consumer Reports ranks hospitals for patient safety
Magazine releases patient-safety rankings for more than 2,500 hospitals based on a composite score of five quality measures
4/2/2014
CDC says 1 in 25 hospital patients get an infection
The report also shows limited progress in controlling some bacteria
4/1/2014
Seattle hospital sparks new patient safety measures throughout England
Virginia Mason's safety and quality efforts are helping to inspire new measures aimed at improving patient safety in the UK
4/1/2014
UK hospital uses pre-fab cubicles for infection prevention and control
Royal Bournemouth Hospital installs infection control enclosures to contain outbreaks
4/1/2014