If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.
The latest news and analysis about patient safety and healthcare quality.
Trouble viewing? See it online! Wednesday, December 16, 2020
 

Featured Story
NIOSH Says FFRs with Exhalation Valves Just as Effective at Control of Disease Sources
NIOSH confirmed that approved FFRs like N95 respirators protect the wearer, filtering particle penetration to less than 5%. The report, “Filtering Facepiece Respirators with an Exhalation Valve: Measurements of Filtration Efficiency to Evaluate Their Potential for Source Control” (NIOSH Publication No. 2021-107), also confirmed that an FFR with an exhalation valve provided the same source control as commonly used measures like surgical masks, procedure masks, and cloth face coverings.
 

News & Analysis
Hospitals Scramble to Prioritize Which Workers Are First for COVID Shots
Even as the federal Food and Drug Administration engaged in intense deliberations ahead of Friday's authorization of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID vaccine, and days before the initial 6.4 million doses were to be released, hospitals across the country have been grappling with how to distribute the first scarce shots.
Discuss Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations Carefully
May an employer covered by the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 compel all of its employees to take the influenza vaccine regardless of their medical conditions or their religious beliefs during a pandemic? Quick answer: No.
Interoperability Is Delayed Again, Keeping Clinicians in Limbo
Physicians have become all too familiar with the inefficiencies of EHRs; they hinder decision-making, decrease productivity, and are a leading cause of physician burnout, according to numerous surveys and studies. Burnout is a recognized threat to patient safety and care quality, and one of the most important reasons that healthcare leaders can no longer accept perpetual delays that are forcing clinicians to continue using inefficient systems.
Share Your Innovative Quality Improvement Ideas
Any professional who is currently involved in patient safety or quality improvement is welcome to submit a case study application. The 2021 PSQH Contest Committee, in conjunction with the PSQH administrative team, will select one case study to highlight on PSQH.
Sponsored content

EVS Training and Certification are Essential to Healthcare's Mission
Modern healthcare is based on two important principles originally ascribed to Hippocrates: help the sick and abstain from doing harm. Physicians are sworn to these ideals.  Nurses and others in healthcare promise the same. These goals are certainly true for Environmental Services directors and staff. Sponsored by ServiceMaster Clean.
PSQH: The Podcast

PSQH: The Podcast Episode 17 - Supporting Remote Patients During a Pandemic
On episode 17 of PSQH: The Podcast, host Jay Kumar talks to Dr. Stephanie Lahr, CIO and CMIO at Monument Health in South Dakota, about providing care for remote patients in a pandemic.
Upcoming webinar

Medical Error Prevention for Quality and Safety Leaders: The Medication Use Process
Preventing medical errors is a major goal for all healthcare organizations. One major source of errors is through the medication use process, which begins prior to the procurement of the medication and continues after the medication has been administered. In this December 17 webinar, we will review medication use processes and consider various methods to hard wire patient safety into organizations.
PSQH Connect

Designing Successful Medication Reconciliation Programs
When deciding on where to place med rec resources, start by looking at where most of your admissions come from. For many hospitals, admissions largely come from planned surgical procedures or the Emergency Department, so these are prime areas in which to consider having a med rec team collect medication histories.
 

Industry Events

Friday, 4/30/21 - ABQAURP's 43rd Annual Health Care Quality & Patient Safety Conference

Tuesday, 6/11/21 - 2021 IHI Patient Safety Congress

Monday, 6/28/21 - APIC 2021

Monday, 8/9/21 - HIMSS21 Global Health Conference & Exhibition
 

SIGN UP | FORWARD | SPONSOR
 
 
 

Product Spotlight

The Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety, Fifth Edition

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.

Order now!
 
 

Career Center

Post your open positions or find your next career move with the HCPro Career Center.