May/June 2024 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
WHO unveils 10 patient safety rights
WHO announced 10 patient safety rights for healthcare.
5 hospitals creating a better ED experience for patients
Hospital leaders across the U.S. are trying to find creative solutions to reduce boarding in emergency departments, which challenges health systems.
Why nearly 8,000 nurses left their jobs
The U.S. has an all-time record number of actively licensed nurses — 5.6 million — but hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain enough. To discover missed opportunities, researchers surveyed 7,887 nurses who recently exited the healthcare industry.
The state of nurse pay, work-life balance
Pay has increased for some nurses, and the same can be said for the number of nurses seeking a higher degree or additional certification — but workplace violence also is on the rise, a Nurse.org report found.
Hospitals' safety culture gap
Healthcare workers' perceptions of safety at their organizations is improving, though a gap still remains between senior leaders and front-line workers, according to an April 2 Press Ganey report.
The rise of 'social prescribing'
Nature walks. Dance classes. Volunteering. These are among the social activities being prescribed across at least 30 programs in the U.S. Social prescribing — or the practice of connecting people with nonclinical activities that target underlying concerns such as isolation, stress and access to healthy foods — is a well-known concept in Britain and is increasingly stirring interest in the U.S., experts told The New York Times in an April 17 report.
Is healthcare paying enough attention to nurse leaders?
Over the past few years, much of the discourse on supporting the well-being of healthcare workers has focused on nurses and front-line teams — and rightfully so, as many nurses continue to report burnout stemming from their work environment. But to ensure efforts meant to support bedside nurses live up to their full potential, hospitals and health systems should be placing an equal focus on nurse managers, leaders say.
Why a Texas system hasn't hired a travel nurse in 30 years
Beth Schmidt remembers the last time Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Children's Health Care System hired a travel nurse, and it was not recently.
'Creative' nurse shifts gain traction at Mercy Health hospital
At Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, gone are the traditional scheduling demands for nurses. Instead, nurses get "creative shifts" that fit their needs, Cory Werts, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer for the Lima market, told Becker's.
Why UPMC opened a farm on a hospital campus
Farming began as a hobby for KimberLee Mudge, MD, a breast surgeon at UPMC Memorial in York, Pa., and it has now turned into an initiative designed to improve the health of people throughout Central Pennsylvania.
AI's potential for detecting HAIs in complex clinical scenarios
AI tools might be able to diagnose healthcare-associated infections, but human oversight is vital to ensuring patient safety, according to a study published March 13 in the American Journal of Infection Control.
INFECTION CONTROL
The rise of 'social prescribing'
Nature walks. Dance classes. Volunteering. These are among the social activities being prescribed across at least 30 programs in the U.S. Social prescribing — or the practice of connecting people with nonclinical activities that target underlying concerns such as isolation, stress and access to healthy foods — is a well-known concept in Britain and is increasingly stirring interest in the U.S., experts told The New York Times in an April 17 report.
How Mercy accelerated rare disease diagnoses in rural areas
Children's Mercy Kansas City (Mo.) researchers found a way to reduce the time to diagnosis for rare disease by 5.5 months.
Hospitals could be asked to report emissions in 2026
Starting in 2026, CMS could ask hospitals to report emissions.
AI's potential for detecting HAIs in complex clinical scenarios
AI tools might be able to diagnose healthcare-associated infections, but human oversight is vital to ensuring patient safety, according to a study published March 13 in the American Journal of Infection Control.
COVID-19 reshaped physician ethics, study suggests
COVID-19 has upended a long-standing belief that physicians must care for infectious disease patients, irrespective of their own personal risk, suggests research published April 24 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
Why UPMC opened a farm on a hospital campus
Farming began as a hobby for KimberLee Mudge, MD, a breast surgeon at UPMC Memorial in York, Pa., and it has now turned into an initiative designed to improve the health of people throughout Central Pennsylvania.
WHO unveils 10 patient safety rights
WHO announced 10 patient safety rights for healthcare.
Hospitals' safety culture gap
Healthcare workers' perceptions of safety at their organizations is improving, though a gap still remains between senior leaders and front-line workers, according to an April 2 Press Ganey report.
Inside HCA's safety work
Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare has taken numerous steps to embed safety work into daily operations across its 186 hospitals, Karla Miller, PharmD, the system's chief patient safety officer, wrote in a March 15 blog post.
Female physicians have lower patient mortality, readmission rates: Study
Patients treated by female physicians have lower mortality and readmission rates, a recent study found.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
Gen Z nurses commit to work at this hospital: How its CNO aims to keep them
When Jonna Jenkins, DNP, arrived at Hutchinson (Kan.) Regional Hospital in 2022, she was shocked to learn that the facility did not have a strong relationship with the town's community college.
Noncompete ban complicates hospital staffing issues: Fitch
The Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning noncompete clauses could hit nonprofit hospitals with more staffing complications at a time when they are still adapting to the upward reset of wages and have only begun to rein in labor costs, according to a May 2 report by Fitch Ratings.
AdventHealth's strategy to lower staff turnover
Terry Shaw, president and CEO of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth, has been focused on replenishing the system's workforce and leadership pipeline over the last few years.
Why a Texas system hasn't hired a travel nurse in 30 years
Beth Schmidt remembers the last time Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Children's Health Care System hired a travel nurse, and it was not recently.
NewYork-Presbyterian to add 1,300 accessibility enhancements
By the end of 2028, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City plans to incorporate more than 1,300 accessibility enhancements to better accommodate patients with disabilities.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
ISMP updates list of error-prone medical abbreviations
On April 17, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices added more recommendations to its list of medical abbreviations that should never be used.
The condition EDs often miss in children
Seizures are telltale signs of epilepsy, but a subtle type of seizure in children is less likely to be noticed by emergency department physicians, which may lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, according to new research.
5 most challenging requirements in 2023: Joint Commission
Maintaining infection prevention and control during disinfection and sterilization activities was the most challenging compliance standard for hospitals in 2023, according to The Joint Commission.
To predict pressure injuries, new tool 20% better than current 'coin flip'
A machine learning model accurately predicted the risk of about 3 in 4 hospital-acquired pressure injuries, according to a new study.
Only 68% of patients feel 'very safe' in hospitals: Report
Patients' perception of hospital safety has worsened since the pandemic, according to an April 2 Press Ganey report.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
No new staff, all new results: Why virtual nursing is thriving at ChristianaCare
In two years, Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare has expanded virtual nursing to 41% of its beds without adding a single new staff member.
Texas nursing program shutters after 44 years
Houston Community College no longer offers its Associate Degree in Nursing program, according to the Texas Board of Nursing.
'Creative' nurse shifts gain traction at Mercy Health hospital
At Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, gone are the traditional scheduling demands for nurses. Instead, nurses get "creative shifts" that fit their needs, Cory Werts, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer for the Lima market, told Becker's.
Why nearly 8,000 nurses left their jobs
The U.S. has an all-time record number of actively licensed nurses — 5.6 million — but hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain enough. To discover missed opportunities, researchers surveyed 7,887 nurses who recently exited the healthcare industry.
Is healthcare paying enough attention to nurse leaders?
Over the past few years, much of the discourse on supporting the well-being of healthcare workers has focused on nurses and front-line teams — and rightfully so, as many nurses continue to report burnout stemming from their work environment. But to ensure efforts meant to support bedside nurses live up to their full potential, hospitals and health systems should be placing an equal focus on nurse managers, leaders say.