Investment in infection-control technology is moving off the back burner as U.S. hospitals say they're not prepared to treat a deadly infection like Ebola, according to an article on the Fierce Health IT website.
Seventy-two percent of hospital leaders surveyed say infection-control (IC) software will move to their "must-have" list for 2015, the article said.
The Black Book August survey's findings included:
• Fewer than half of U.S. hospitals have even one negative pressure isolation room to isolate an Ebola patient
• Less than 8 percent of hospitals conducted emergency preparedness drills for biological disease outbreaks in the past 12 months
• Hospitals have supply problems
Eighty-two percent of those with electronic health record systems said they delayed purchasing IC software, waiting for their vendors to come up with add-on modules and support, according to the article.
Technological Readiness: The Missing Construction Milestone
From Cooling Towers to Cost Savings: Hospital Seizes Power-Saving Opportunity
Community Health Center of Buffalo Reports Data Breach
CRAB Alert: The EVS Role in Preventing Infection
Why Hospital Waiting Rooms Aren't Going Away