Safety - August 2013
WHO hand hygiene strategy feasible and sustainable
Two-year study showed marked improvement at multiple sites around the world
8/30/2013
Focus on patient's role in hospital safety
Encouraging assertiveness can diminish risk in an effective safety culture
8/29/2013
Rockford hospitals lauded for storm readiness
Three hospitals and 48 public schools recognized by The National Weather Service
8/29/2013
Free decontamination self-assessment offered
Hospitals can download free tool to evaluate their own procedures
8/28/2013
Hospital disaster preparation evolves
Emergency preparedness grants fuel activity after Hurricane Sandy and Boston bombings
8/27/2013
High-tech equipment used to reduce infant abductions
Ankle-band transmitters help Virginia hospital staff keep babies safe
8/26/2013
Foundation awards grant to study hospital patient falls
Researchers will try to identify design elements that may contribute to mishaps.
8/23/2013
Whose responsibility is hospital safety?
When it comes to hospital safety, experts say patients should question cleanliness to prevent infections.
8/22/2013
Registries helped track infections in health care facilities
Regional patient registries may be useful in tracking the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections between health care facilities.
8/22/2013
Infections may be getting two surprise foes
Research suggests that copper surfaces and cold plasma could be weapons against bacteria
8/21/2013
Location may trump numbers for hand rub dispenser effectiveness
According to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, at a certain point increasing the number of hand rub dispensers is less important than their location in encouraging use.
8/20/2013
HHS says photocopiers should be part of data security review
As part of the announcement that Affinity will pay a more than $1.2 settlement for a breach of security, The Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights says that healthcare organizations need to consider photocopy machines when examining their data security.
8/20/2013
Hospitals building coalitions to ensure business continuity
Hospitals are forming coalitions to respond collaboratively to disasters, partly because federal funding is linked to joint efforts to deliver effective health care during an emergency.
8/20/2013
NFPA drops new emergency power requirement
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has dropped a requirement for adding an indicator light on each receptacle on emergency power.
8/16/2013
Testing fire alarms is critical part of installation
Testing to ensure newly installed fire alarm systems are working correctly is a critical part of the installation process.
8/13/2013
Boston bombing tests area hospital's disaster response plans
The Boston Marathon bombings tested the disaster response plans of the Boston Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as other local hospitals.
8/11/2013
Ultrasound accepted for fire system pipe testing
There is more than one method to comply with NFPA 25, Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems' internal pipe testing requirements.
8/9/2013