This month, we continue our review of The Joint Commission’s new and revised workplace violence (WPV) prevention requirements effective January 1, 2022. The Joint Commission issued three new elements of performance (EP) to existing standards and two revised EPs.
When the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was launched nationally in July 2022, many viewed it as a huge step forward in mental healthcare. However, since its rollout, some have taken to social media to decry the Lifeline, claiming potential abuses of patient rights. And those unsure of what’s...
It’s hurricane season, and the time to prepare was yesterday. As climate change increases the strength and frequency of hurricanes and storms, hospitals and healthcare facilities in hurricane-prone areas need to be vigilant about staying prepared—harden their facilities, train their staff, and...
The U.S. healthcare staffing crisis is severely impacting patients. Among other effects, it is causing a dramatic increase in the length of expensive hospital stays.
Four in 10 hospitals have struggled to appropriately discharge patients due to staffing shortages (Reed, 2022). Moreover,...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is crafting its 2023–2026 National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). ASPR officials say this guidance will present an opportunity for security leaders to take the...
Before COVID-19, deaths from antimicrobial resistance were headed in the right direction, decreasing by nearly 30% in hospitals between 2012 and 2017. But in 2020, resistant hospital-onset infections and deaths both increased by 15% compared to 2019.
Despite being a best practice and one of the elements of CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship, very few healthcare organizations have likely mandated indications for antibiotics, says Bradley T. Truax, MD, principal consultant of the Truax Group, which offers healthcare...
It’s time to review and revamp your pneumonia prevention policies. A collaboration of healthcare organizations has updated their pneumonia prevention and care guidelines for the first time in eight years. The guidelines include several new best practices and recommend against several current...
Margarette Osias is a PN and certified translator for the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition (DBCC). For the past three years, Osias has helped patients schedule and obtain screenings, find primary care providers, apply for medical...
