Here are 15 stories, studies and tips on patient and workplace safety that have been covered by Becker's Hospital Review in roughly the last month, starting with the most recent.
1. Hospitals can increase safety in their psychiatric wards by implementing a set of ten low-cost interventions, according to a recent study published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies. Read more.
2. The Patient Safety Movement Foundation has announced the 4th annual Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit will be held Jan. 22 to Jan. 23, 2016 in Dana Point, Calif. Read more.
3. The Massachusetts Nurses Association union is pushing a workplace violence bill that would add enhanced plans around workplace safety. Read more.
4. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has released a free-to-download guide to hand hygiene programs. Read more.
5. Oxygen saturation alarms are a vital patient care tool to alert medical workers of possible hyperoxia, but too many alarms can cause alarm fatigue for workers and negatively impact patient safety, according to a recent study. Read more.
6. Seattle-based Virginia Mason Institute has signed a $13 million contract with England's National Health Service Trust Development Authority to help NHS hospitals improve safety and quality and control costs. Read more.
7. The Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality offers a video and handout aimed at helping patients better engage in preventing blood clots. Read more.
8. Medline CNO Martie Moore, RN, talked to Becker's Hospital Review about what organizations should know to prevent various nursing hazards and injuries. Read more.
9. In July 2011, work hour restrictions for resident physicians were revised in order to protect patients against trainee fatigue-related errors, apparently to little effect, according to new research. Read more.
10. The Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality has entered into an agreement with Honolulu-based The Queen's Health Systems to help the Hawaiian hospitals improve patient safety and care. Read more.
11. Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality has compiled a list of 100 patient safety benchmarks from various sources for hospital comparison. Read more.
12. Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, N.J., has named Vincent Barba, MD, vice president of patient care and safety. Read more.
13. A recent BMJ Quality & Safety article suggests emotional harm from disrespect in healthcare settings is a "neglected preventable [patient] harm" that should be addressed with the upmost importance. Read more.
14. Researchers from the Imperial College of London's Centre for Health Policy are testing a new application called CareReport in the hopes of changing the culture and stigma that surrounds patient safety incident reporting. Read more.
15. The Joint Commission is evaluating patient safety-related events at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a CNN investigation claimed the hospital's pediatric mortality rate for open heart surgeries nearly tripled the national average. Read more.