September/October 2022 Issue of Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control
ON THE COVER
What does 'quiet quitting' look like at hospitals?
The trend of "quiet quitting" has recently gained traction on social media, referring to a phenomenon in which workers to reduce their enthusiasm at work and stick to the minimum expectations of their role. Some professionals, including Generation Z workers, have embraced the concept as an increased form of work-life balance, and others see it as a lesser-version of actually quitting. Regardless of how an individual interprets the idea, the concept is not new among the U.S. workforce or in healthcare, according to Jeremy Sadlier, executive director of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration.
5 states with highest, lowest CAUTI rates
Vermont hospitals have the highest catheter associated urinary tract infection rate in the country, while hospitals in Washington, D.C., have the lowest, CDC data shows.
'A total disruptor to how we do business': Cleveland Clinic's new patient experience metric
Since their initial rollout in 2019, plan of care visits — which bring nurses and providers to the patient's bedside together — have become characteristic of the way care is delivered and managed across Cleveland Clinic. They've become so beneficial that the system has done away with chasing other experience scores, such as patients' likelihood to recommend.
Side hustle or exit path? How COVID-19 shifted the side gig landscape for nurses
Pre-pandemic, it wasn't uncommon for hospital nurses to have side gigs on their days off, be it paid or volunteer work.
Hospitals' uncomfortably high tolerance for errors
Learning from mistakes generally is considered the upside to failure. But in healthcare, where staff members regularly face stressors and systemic issues that impede a strong culture of safety, creating that standard can be difficult.
10 most common sentinel events of 2022: Joint Commission
Patient falls were the most common sentinel event reported among hospitals in the first six months of 2022, according to a Sept. 7 report from The Joint Commission.
Violating EMTALA, state abortion bans: What's at stake for physicians, hospitals
HHS aimed to add some clarity to the nation's shifting abortion landscape in July when it issued guidance to hospitals underscoring that abortion is covered under a 36-year-old federal law requiring Medicare hospitals to provide all patients appropriate emergency care. The law has since become the center of legal disputes over abortion in Idaho and Texas.
C. auris growing more drug-resistant, experts say
Infections caused by the fungi Candida auris and Aspergillus are becoming harder to treat with medication, experts told NBC News in an Aug. 13 report.
Early warnings, few false alerts: What physicians want out of AI sepsis detection tools
A new artificial intelligence sepsis detection system had an 89 percent adoption rate by physicians and nurses, higher than other legacy tools, which typically garner a 10 percent adoption rate, a study published July 21 shows.
Why no treatment for long COVID-19 exists yet
Two years into the pandemic, millions of people are living with long COVID-19, and there is still no proven treatment for the condition, Nature reported Aug. 9.
How Geisinger's refund program is faring amid patient experience crisis
In the middle of a patient experience crisis, the logical assumption for a health system that gives patients the opportunity to request a refund is that those expenses will skyrocket. Geisinger has seen the opposite, with patient refunds on the decline in recent years.
Viewpoint: Health equity can't be achieved without nurses
The public health sector needs to provide nurses with resources to more comprehensively address and advocate for health equity, Tarissa Host wrote for the MinnPost Aug. 22.
The best pieces of advice 4 CNOs from top 10 hospitals have ever received
Four nursing chiefs from US News & World Report's best ranked hospitals recently spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the best advice they've received – whether it be from colleagues or family members.
The initiative that's bringing nurses back to the bedside at Jefferson Health
Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health launched its "Nursing SEAL Team" program in July, which aims to give nurses more flexibility with where they work. Now, in the month since the initial team launch, the program has expanded into other departments and is attracting former employees back to the system.
INFECTION CONTROL
Rubber band seal brings surgical mask protection to N95 levels, study finds
Standard surgical masks don't fully seal around a person's face, allowing for more participle exposure. But simply adding two rubber bands may improve the seal and offer N95 respirator-level protection, according to researchers at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor.
Healthcare workers who use respirators 40% less likely to get COVID-19, study suggests
A study of more than 2,900 healthcare workers in Switzerland found those who reported using respirator masks were 40 percent less likely to contract COVID-19 than those wearing surgical masks after being exposed to COVID-19 patients.
C. diff rates fell during COVID-19, study finds
The prevalence of Clostridioides difficile infections decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but inpatient mortality and treatment costs went up, a study published Aug. 25 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases found.
C. auris growing more drug-resistant, experts say
Infections caused by the fungi Candida auris and Aspergillus are becoming harder to treat with medication, experts told NBC News in an Aug. 13 report.
5 states with highest, lowest CAUTI rates
Vermont hospitals have the highest catheter associated urinary tract infection rate in the country, while hospitals in Washington, D.C., have the lowest, CDC data shows.
PATIENT SAFETY & OUTCOMES
Hand-bell system leads to patient death at New Mexico hospital
A system that required patients to use hand bells to call for help led to the death of a patient at Gallup, N.M.-based Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in January, Source New Mexico reported Aug. 30.
Wireless sock monitoring system reduces patient falls, nurses find
A new study led by nurses at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center involving 569 hospitalized patients found the use of a wireless sock monitoring system resulted in zero falls.
Pfizer's antiviral drug could result in 'Paxlovid mouth'
Paxlovid, Pfizer's popular antiviral drug treatment, is leaving a sour taste in people's mouths, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 16.
Hospitals' uncomfortably high tolerance for errors
Learning from mistakes generally is considered the upside to failure. But in healthcare, where staff members regularly face stressors and systemic issues that impede a strong culture of safety, creating that standard can be difficult.
The reporting practice that could lead to unreliable patient safety data
Some hospitals may classify admissions in a way that exempts them from elective-based patient safety indicator scores, or PSIs, leading to less reliable patient safety data, according to a study published in the August issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE
The reporting practice that could lead to unreliable patient safety data
Some hospitals may classify admissions in a way that exempts them from elective-based patient safety indicator scores, or PSIs, leading to less reliable patient safety data, according to a study published in the August issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.
New Leapfrog report recommends 29 measures to prevent diagnostic errors
The Leapfrog Group recommended 29 practices for hospitals to implement in order to prevent patient harm and death from diagnostic errors in a July 28 report.
Brain fog may last for 2 years after COVID-19, study finds
Brain fog and other neurological issues may linger for two years after a COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a study published Aug. 17 in The Lancet Psychiatry.
Violating EMTALA, state abortion bans: What's at stake for physicians, hospitals
HHS aimed to add some clarity to the nation's shifting abortion landscape in July when it issued guidance to hospitals underscoring that abortion is covered under a 36-year-old federal law requiring Medicare hospitals to provide all patients appropriate emergency care. The law has since become the center of legal disputes over abortion in Idaho and Texas.
The safety issues that put Novant hospital's Medicare contract at risk
New details from a federal inspection report obtained by WECT News 6 offer a closer look at the safety issues that temporarily put Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center at risk of losing its federal funding.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT
Medical association to create 1st guidelines for diagnosing, treating ADHD
The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders plans to develop the nation's first guidelines for diagnosing and treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults, The Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 1.
US life expectancy sees sharpest 2-year decline in 100 years
Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. has fallen to 76.1 years, the lowest it has been since 1996, according to provisional data the CDC published Aug. 31.
Healthcare-associated infections hit smaller community hospitals hardest during pandemic, study finds
Smaller community hospitals have been most affected by the COVID-19-related uptick in healthcare-associated infections, a study published Aug. 23 in Clinical Infectious Diseases found.
With workplace violence on the rise, some health systems are hiring experts to address it
Amid increased calls to address workplace violence, some health systems are hiring personnel specifically to focus on the issue. The directors often oversee areas of the organization related to safety and security.
LGBTQ+ patients receive different level of care, one-third of physicians say
About one-third of physicians see disparities in LGBTQ+ medical care due to patients' sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a new Medscape report.
NURSING SPOTLIGHT
What chief nursing officers say contributes to moral distress: 5 notes
The COVID-19 pandemic forced chief nursing officers to make tough decisions that led to moral distress, such as selecting nurses to work in COVID-19 units, according to a study published Aug. 31 in the Journal of Nursing Management.
How Novant quickly increased its nurse workforce after an immediate jeopardy threat
Wilmington, N.C.-based Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center has made significant progress in bolstering its nursing workforce over the last two months, adding more than 300 nurses.
Beaumont-Spectrum system invests $20M to address nursing shortage
BHSH System will invest more than $20 million over the next five years to increase Michigan's nursing workforce through a partnership with Oakland (Mich.) University.
The best pieces of advice 4 CNOs from top 10 hospitals have ever received
Four nursing chiefs from US News & World Report's best ranked hospitals recently spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the best advice they've received – whether it be from colleagues or family members.
UnityPoint Health's nurse camps foster interest in nursing among kids
Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health has taken a different approach to addressing the national nursing shortage: instilling a passion for the profession at a young age.