When you look at a lot of the “traditional” conditions that end up presenting during survey—propped doors, unsecured or improperly segregated gas cylinders, obstructed access to emergency equipment, sometimes even corridor clutter—the root cause often comes down to it being more convenient to sacrifice compliance (only for a moment, mind you, we were going to take care of that before you saw it).

There are many benefits to utilizing telemedicine services, including increased patient access, enhanced reach of healthcare services, improved continuity of care and case management, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced patient risk of contracting communicable infectious diseases (because they are not entering medical facilities).

Healthcare workers are no strangers to burnout and suicide as many suffer from emotional exhaustion and mental and physical stress due to the demanding nature of their job, including long working hours, high-stress environments, and death in extreme cases.

Best estimates from The Joint Commission (TJC) suggest that 90-100 surgical fires occur annually in the United States, creating safety hazards for patients, surgical teams, and the operating room (OR) environment. TJC recently issued Sentinel Event Alert #68, “Updated surgical fire prevention for the 21st century.” It provides a comprehensive overview of the risks, contributing factors, and prevention strategies for surgical fires in healthcare settings.

Winter is coming, and it’s time for laboratories to brush off their winter safety checklists. The forecast for the 2023–2024 winter season will be dominated by a powerful El Niño, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is expected to cause a warmer-than-average winter for the northern U.S. and a wetter-than-average one for the Southeast.