"Medical device reprocessing, as the GAO again confirms, is stringently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” Vukelich says. “Twice in eight years GAO has looked at the practice of reprocessing ‘single-use’ devices (SUDs) and found no evidence of increased risk to patients.”
To read the complete story pleae click on the link.
e mërkurë, 12 mars 2008
e diel, 24 shkurt 2008
How is Your Hospital doing these days ?
Have you ever wanted to compare hospitals and their care? Now you have a way. The comparisons are posted on a special web site.
The site was launched in 2004 as part of the federal Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created its "Hospital Compare" Web site: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
Click on these two links to read more about this process and compare your hospital.
Link 1
Link 2
The site was launched in 2004 as part of the federal Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created its "Hospital Compare" Web site: www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
Click on these two links to read more about this process and compare your hospital.
Link 1
Link 2
What's Right in Health Care: 365 Stories of Purpose, Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference.
A new book has been published dealing with 365 Healthcare stories that have made a difference. Go to this link to read more about this new book. The link is
http://thenewsherald.com/stories/012008/loc_20080120005.shtml
http://thenewsherald.com/stories/012008/loc_20080120005.shtml
e martë, 19 shkurt 2008
OSHA Offers a New Resource for Medical Facilities
In the fall of 2007 OSHA released a Web site that provides step-by-step guidance, along with the requirements and educational resources managers need to ensure occupational safety.Please click on the link below for this tool and more information.
http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/quickstarts/health_care/index_hc.html
http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/quickstarts/health_care/index_hc.html
e martë, 5 shkurt 2008
Fingernails and Infection
Outpatient Surgery E-Weekly (2/5/08) has reported about a study that is published in the January issue of the Journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology that found that although antibiotic gels help increase hand hygiene, they failed to reduce infection rates in two ICUs over a two-year period.
"Hand hygiene may be important, but it's only one ingredient in the overall recipe for preventing infection," says Mark Rupp, MD, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, medical director of the school's Department of Healthcare Epideminology and the study's principal author.
Exactly why the infection rates did not decrease when hand hygiene compliance increased is unknown, says Dr. Rupp. One theory has to do with fingernail length. They found more, and varied, microbes when the nurses had fingernails more than two millimeters long, wore rings or lacked access to hand gels. According to Dr. Rupp, fingernails are too long for healthcare if you can see them over the skin of your fingers when looking at your palm.
To read more on this topic please go to the link below.
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/524333
"Hand hygiene may be important, but it's only one ingredient in the overall recipe for preventing infection," says Mark Rupp, MD, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, medical director of the school's Department of Healthcare Epideminology and the study's principal author.
Exactly why the infection rates did not decrease when hand hygiene compliance increased is unknown, says Dr. Rupp. One theory has to do with fingernail length. They found more, and varied, microbes when the nurses had fingernails more than two millimeters long, wore rings or lacked access to hand gels. According to Dr. Rupp, fingernails are too long for healthcare if you can see them over the skin of your fingers when looking at your palm.
To read more on this topic please go to the link below.
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/524333
e mërkurë, 16 janar 2008
FDA Public Health Notification: Unretrieved Device Fragments
Issued: January 15, 2008
Dear Healthcare Practitioner:
This is to advise you of serious adverse events associated with unretrieved device fragments (UDFs) and provide recommendations to mitigate these events. A UDF is a fragment of a medical device that has separated unintentionally and remains in the patient after a procedure. Patients may not be aware that this has occurred. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) receives nearly 1000 adverse event reports each year related to UDFs. These have included more than 200 different medical devices and numerous medical specialties.
To read the complete report please go to this link :
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/011508-udf.html
Dear Healthcare Practitioner:
This is to advise you of serious adverse events associated with unretrieved device fragments (UDFs) and provide recommendations to mitigate these events. A UDF is a fragment of a medical device that has separated unintentionally and remains in the patient after a procedure. Patients may not be aware that this has occurred. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) receives nearly 1000 adverse event reports each year related to UDFs. These have included more than 200 different medical devices and numerous medical specialties.
To read the complete report please go to this link :
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/011508-udf.html
e martë, 8 janar 2008
Avoiding Hazards from Using Cleaners and Disinfectants on Electronic Medical Equipment
FDA, CDC, EPA and OSHA have issued a Public Health Notification on how to avoid hazards when using liquid cleaners and disinfectants on electronic medical equipment. The Notification covers a wide range of equipment, including infusion pumps, ventilators, analgesia pumps, computer workstations and monitoring equipment.
This action was prompted by reports of fires and other equipment damage, as well as burns to healthcare workers, when these types of liquids were used inappropriately on equipment that has unsealed electrical circuits. In many cases, healthcare workers routinely sprayed the equipment with disinfectants or wrapped the housings with disinfectant-soaked towels, causing damage to the circuitry.
The Notification provides a number of recommendations to reduce the risk. Here are some of the highlights:
• Protect equipment from contamination during use, which can help avoid the need for disinfection.
• If equipment becomes contaminated, remove it from use and be sure it's serviced before returning it to use.
• Clean equipment surfaces according to the instructions from both the equipment manufacturer and the chemical manufacturer.
Additional Information:
FDA MedWatch Safety Alert. Cleaners and Disinfectants: Hazards of Excess Use on Electronic Medical Equipment. November 1, 2007.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Cleaners
This action was prompted by reports of fires and other equipment damage, as well as burns to healthcare workers, when these types of liquids were used inappropriately on equipment that has unsealed electrical circuits. In many cases, healthcare workers routinely sprayed the equipment with disinfectants or wrapped the housings with disinfectant-soaked towels, causing damage to the circuitry.
The Notification provides a number of recommendations to reduce the risk. Here are some of the highlights:
• Protect equipment from contamination during use, which can help avoid the need for disinfection.
• If equipment becomes contaminated, remove it from use and be sure it's serviced before returning it to use.
• Clean equipment surfaces according to the instructions from both the equipment manufacturer and the chemical manufacturer.
Additional Information:
FDA MedWatch Safety Alert. Cleaners and Disinfectants: Hazards of Excess Use on Electronic Medical Equipment. November 1, 2007.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Cleaners
e hënë, 7 janar 2008
Ireland Issues Guideline on Device Reprocessing
Ireland Issues Guideline on Device Reprocessing
Ireland’s Health Service Executive has released a practice guideline on decontamination of reusable invasive medical devices (RIMDs).
The new code of practice sets standards and best practices for facilities operating within Ireland’s public health system.
“Decontamination facilities should be designed, constructed, maintained and controlled to provide effective segregation of clean and dirty activities and to provide an environment that minimizes contamination of clean and disinfected RIMD,” the guideline says.
The seven-part guideline includes sections on recommended practices for central decontamination units, endoscopy units and dental services, as well as an audit prototype for evaluating decontamination procedures.
The guideline, “Code of Practice for Decontamination of Reusable Invasive Medical Devices,” can be viewed at:
www.hse.ie/en/Publications/HSEPublicationsNew/AcuteHospitalReportsGuidelines/#d.en.8696.
Ireland’s Health Service Executive has released a practice guideline on decontamination of reusable invasive medical devices (RIMDs).
The new code of practice sets standards and best practices for facilities operating within Ireland’s public health system.
“Decontamination facilities should be designed, constructed, maintained and controlled to provide effective segregation of clean and dirty activities and to provide an environment that minimizes contamination of clean and disinfected RIMD,” the guideline says.
The seven-part guideline includes sections on recommended practices for central decontamination units, endoscopy units and dental services, as well as an audit prototype for evaluating decontamination procedures.
The guideline, “Code of Practice for Decontamination of Reusable Invasive Medical Devices,” can be viewed at:
www.hse.ie/en/Publications/HSEPublicationsNew/AcuteHospitalReportsGuidelines/#d.en.8696.
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