DNV to return to unannounced surveys September 7

DNV Healthcare announces it is returning full unannounced, onsite surveys as of September 7...

Healthcare facilities: LED fixture continuously disinfects all airborne viruses

Implementing The Joint Commission’s (TJC) workplace violence prevention...

Physician shortage could be as high as 124,000 by 2034, study finds

By 2034, there will be a shortage of physicians ranging from 37,800 to 124,000, according to...

If you remember nothing else: Nothing happens in isolation…

Mac's Safety Space: With the (presumed) onset of regulatory surveys including a more thorough review of survey results past, I would imagine ...

Update your SOCs for off-campus buildings as TJC targets business occupancies

Be sure your facility electronic Statement of Conditions™ (eSOC) and Basic Building Information (eBBI) are up to date with accurate business occupancy information. Expect life safety (LS) surveyors to start inspecting many of your off-campus sites now that The Joint Commission (TJC) has a new LS section on business occupancies.

OSHA sets temporary standard on COVID-19 safety for healthcare workers

A new OSHA emergency standard designed to help protect healthcare workers (HCW) from COVID-19 might only be in effect for six months, but its impact could be substantial.

Hospitals and other health facilities may have to erect even more physical barriers between workstations and will need to pay close attention to the requirements for a written COVID-19 safety plan and documentation on training.

PTSD: There is help for patients and providers

PTSD occurs after a person experiences or witnesses a highly stressful or upsetting event. Patients can also develop PTSD secondhand, from close contact with people who’ve also undergone the trauma. That’s particularly true for healthcare providers, who often find themselves working in the aftermath of terrible disasters and feel it’s their job to push aside their own issues for the patient, says Barbara C. Burt, Psy.D., program chair for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Phoenix.

In the wake of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw horrors such as corpses being stored in refrigerated trucks, doctors forced to decide which patient would get the last life-saving respirator, and numerous wildfires, hurricanes, and riots, providers and patients alike have taken a mental beating.

MEU spoke with Burt about PTSD. This Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity.

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The Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety, Fifth Edition, consolidates regulations from all relevant agencies, including OSHA, The Joint Commission, CAP, CLSI, DOT, and state health departments. This book also offers customizable policies, procedures, and checklists to avoid costly fines and enhance your compliance program.

The newest edition of this proven guide includes a brand-new chapter on laboratory safety culture, plus new content on:

• The hierarchy of controls
• The four biosafety lab levels and lab coats 
• Reporting lab injuries 
• Lab coat cleaning, comfort, and materials 
• Bloodborne pathogen training
• Hazardous waste management
• The generator improvement rule 
• The EPA hazardous waste pharmaceutical rule
• And more!

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