Workflow is a set of tasks grouped into processes that require the interaction of people and resources to accomplish defined goals. There are methodologies to carefully examine systems, and more specifically workflows, that can enable optimizations for better efficiency, safety, and satisfaction. In this article, we’ll look at how workflows in a healthcare system can be characterized and developed with usability design approaches to gain greater efficiencies, reduce risks and regulatory snafus, and ultimately benefit patient care.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) November 23 asked a federal appeals court to lift judicial restrictions on an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to implement a program of COVID-19 vaccination or regular testing and face coverings to protect unvaccinated workers. The emergency rule was indefinitely stayed November 12 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit before lawsuits were consolidated and moved to the 6th Circuit appeals court in Cincinnati.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that provisional data show 100,306 overdose deaths occurred in the country in the 12-month period ending in April, representing a 28.5% increase over the overdose deaths that occurred during the same period the year before. The data show opioid overdose deaths increased by nearly 20,000.

Much-needed holiday happiness might be around the corner, but now’s the time to review your hospital attire and holiday decoration policies. Then remind managers and staff what the expectations are for costumes and decking those halls.

Some costumes can pose infection control (IC) problems while decorations can be both an IC and fire hazard. Any of that, of course, will get you in trouble with surveyors.

In preparing for your upcoming survey, review how your facility stands up to the top 10 most challenging standards within the physical environment outlined by Herman A. McKenzie, MBA, CHSP, director of engineering for TJC’s Standards Interpretation Group during the 2021 Executive Briefing.

The briefing was the first held by TJC since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and was conducted virtually over three days in mid-September.

The numbers are staggering—more than 10,000 prescription medications on the market, with many patients on more than one medication at a time (PSNet, 2019). According to a recent study by the Get the Medications Right Institute (GTMRx), nearly a quarter of the patients surveyed said their medical team did not regularly review their medications, despite a third of the respondents saying they were currently taking four or more medications (GTMRx, 2021b).