At the national level, vaccination rates for vaccine-preventable diseases are stable, but healthcare providers need to address vaccine hesitancy at the local level, an infectious disease expert says.

U.S. maternal mortality rates continued their alarming upward trajectory in 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the overall U.S. maternal death rate rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2019 to 23.8 per 100,000 in 2020, an 18% increase. Between 2018 and 2020, pregnancy-related deaths increased by nearly 37%. Moreover, the CDC’s Maternal Mortality Review Committees determined that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths from 2017 through 2019 were preventable.

With roughly 85% of emergency physicians reporting in a recent survey that ED violence has increased over the past five years, health systems are taking action to protect both providers and patients. And while the most visible response is to increase security in the ED, some are using technology to take a more proactive approach.

Any time there’s a shift in focus when it comes to healthcare leadership, I like to ponder how it might end up impacting the management of the physical environment. 

Miscarriages are not a niche issue, as one in 10 women will have a miscarriage in their lifetime. According to Mayo Clinic, 10%–20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. While some patients who experience a miscarriage may not need medical treatment, in other cases an untreated miscarriage can result in severe pain, uterine infection, hemorrhaging, and death—not to mention the mental and emotional toll on the patient.

Beware of repeat deficiencies. CMS is pressing accrediting organizations (AO) to deal more harshly with hospitals that have repeat citations, including elevating a recurring finding to a condition-level deficiency after a time.

Here are some samples of physical environment and life safety deficiency findings found at acute care hospitals surveyed by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022.

How do you remove harms and dangers from your laboratory? Safety officials have studied this question for years and found many innovative solutions to various issues. But when deciding what action to take in removing a threat, the best tool to use is the hierarchy of controls