The hospital-acquired condition rate, which captures 28 patient safety event measures, decreased 13 percent from 2014 to 2017.
view more »Seven new requirements under the National Patient Safety Goals program require hospitals to screen for suicide risk and standardize treatment procedures.
view more »A Centers for Disease Control & Prevention toolkit provides educational resources and social media messaging for Antibiotics Awareness Week 2018.
view more »These no-cost, downloadable cards include ready-to-use infection prevention assessment forms tailored to 19 common themes, environments, or patient populations.
view more »This yearlong global initiative challenges governments, private industries, and nongovernmental organizations to commit to reducing antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance.
view more »Essential hospitals MedStar Health, in Washington, D.C., and Christiana Care Health System, in Wilmington, Del., improved communication about patient safety events with a toolkit developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
view more »The agency will not convene a proposed task force to reduce environmental risks associated with the care of psychiatric inpatients, opting instead to use findings from The Joint Commission special report on suicide prevention in health care settings.
view more »The resources include a 12-step guide for reducing readmissions and a bilingual guide to aid patients and caregivers following discharge from the hospital.
view more »The toolkit, released as part of National Immunization Awareness Month, includes sample news releases and articles, social media content, and media outreach tools.
view more »This second segment of a no-cost, online training course focuses on outpatient antibiotic stewardship and communicating with patients; participants can receive up to eight hours of continuing education credit.
view more »Hear how experts at Carilion Clinic created a Quality Performance Indicator Database to standardize and disseminate data and reduce preventable harm.
view more »The June 19 webinar features a patient perspective on environmental disinfection in dialysis stations, along with strategies for enacting best practices.
view more »Amid a critical drug shortage, manufacturer Hospira released special handling instructions for lots of Carpuject Luer Lock Glass Syringe products that potentially could contain cracked needle hubs and particulate.
view more »The funding will be awarded for research on patient safety improvements in perinatal, neonatal, and pediatric care in routine hospital and intensive care settings.
view more »The agency outlines a five-step containment process and provides resources for health departments, labs, and health care providers.
view more »The new rules allow surveyors to penalize a hospital for a deficiency if an individual fails to perform hand hygiene in the process of direct patient care.
view more »This year's theme, We Are All Patients, encourages health care providers to stand with patients and stresses the importance of patient engagement in safe care.
view more »Three lots of the injectable opioid medication Hydromorphone HCl, distributed by Hospira and Teva, were recalled due to broken and cracked glass vials.
view more »Health care professionals who complete the four-part web training program are eligible to receive up to eight hours of continuing education credit.
view more »Cracks in the defibrillator's gas discharge tube can allow gases to escape and the device to malfunction when used in automated external defibrillator mode.
view more »Administrators must review and sign the updated agreement by April 14 to retain access to the National Healthcare Safety Network.
view more »The agency expects to release comprehensive ligature risk interpretive guidance later this year for psychiatric units of acute-care hospitals and psychiatric hospitals.
view more »The agency has found marked progress over a decade in eliminating five health care–associated infections (HAIs), and offers an update on the Department of Health and Human Services' five-year goals to reduce HAIs.
view more »The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will observe Antibiotics Awareness Week with a Twitter chat and webinar on Nov. 16.
view more »These awards will support antibiotic resistance research with a focus on the human microbiome, environmental settings, and health care settings.
view more »With 153 clinical C. auris cases reported in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated infection control guidelines.
view more »This video shares strategies to improve injection safety and reduce infection risks in narcotic diversion; participants must sign up for a free Medscape account to view the video.
view more »The unexpired products by Bella Pharmaceuticals were distributed to health care facilities across the country from April 17 to Aug. 10; if not sterile, they could cause potentially life-threatening infections.
view more »The voluntary recall has been expanded to include various dietary supplements, such as liquid vitamin D drops and liquid multivitamins marketed for infants and children.
view more »Health professionals are encouraged to join social media campaigns, attend informational calls and webinars, and review a new fact sheet on Candida auris.
view more »The funding will support state and local health departments in testing for drug-resistant fungi and promote the use of whole genome sequencing in testing.
view more »The stool softeners could be contaminated with B. cepacia, a bacteria that could infect patients with compromised immune systems or chronic lung conditions.
view more »The voluntary recall was issued after a customer reported particulate matter in a container of the product, which later was identified as stainless steel.
view more »The report outlines programs implemented by hospitals and public health departments across the country to improve antibiotic prescribing practices as part of the agency's Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative.
view more »Fujifilm will contact all customers by October for replacement parts and loan customers duodenoscopes to use during the replacement period.
view more »The project seeks to reduce harms caused by inappropriate antibiotic use; registration is open for a one-hour introductory webinar about the project.
view more »Despite reductions in opioid prescribing, the amount of opioids prescribed in 2015 still was triple the amount prescribed in 1999.
view more »Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show incidence of Clostridium difficile in hospitals and nursing homes fell for the first time in decades.
view more »The video is the third in a series by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about challenges to preventing health care-associated infections.
view more »The list includes reusable medical devices with the greatest risk of transmitting an infection or performing poorly if not properly reprocessed.
view more »The Vital Signs report notes ways to prevent the bacterial lung infection, which is fatal in 25 percent of people who contract it at a health care facility.
view more »This year, 77 U.S. cases of Candida auris have been reported; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assisting health agencies in affected areas.
view more »Magellan Diagnostics' LeadCare Analyzers could produce inaccurate blood lead test results when used with venous blood samples.
view more »The new guidance updates recommendations issued in 1999; recommendations are categorized based on the quality of available supporting evidence.
view more »Hospitals have until May 5 to review overall Hospital Compare star rating and until May 10 to review value-based purchasing hospital-specific reports.
view more »The Phillips HeartStart MRx Monitor/Defibrillator might not power up, charge, or deliver electrical shock therapy, and could unexpectedly stop pacing.
view more »Electronic health record information management is the top patient safety concern of 2017, according to a report released by the ECRI Institute on March 13.
view more »In addition to the merger, the organizations announced the release of a public health framework to guide patient safety efforts.
view more »CDC recommends hospitals clean rooms of patients with Candida auris daily and post-discharge with a disinfectant that is effective against C. diff.
view more »The course runs March 20–24 in Atlanta and includes expert content on different infection or event types, as well as antibiotic stewardship.
view more »Crew resource management, which focuses on situations prone to negative outcomes by human error, helped the Columbus, Ohio, essential hospital improve performance and generate savings.
view more »The annual event encourages relevant stakeholders and the general public to engage in antibiotic stewardship in outpatient and inpatient settings.
view more »The proposed revisions would update requirements on patient safety and quality improvement, physician well-being, team-based care & resident work hours.
view more »Hospitals will have the opportunity to discuss the potential contamination of heater-cooler devices used during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures.
view more »The FDA says the recalled electrodes might not connect properly to certain AEDs, delaying electrical therapy and potentially resulting in serious patient harm.
view more »Stӧckert 3T heater-cooler devices used during cardiopulmonary bypass procedures might have been contaminated with M. Chimaera in the manufacturing process.
view more »An archived recording of an Oct. 11 hospital quality call with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration is now available for members of America's Essential Hospitals.
view more »The guidance outlines nine steps hospitals should take, focusing on identifying symptoms, educating patients, and reporting Zika cases to health agencies.
view more »FDA said hospitals by now should have transitioned to alternative duodenoscope cleaning methods after a recall last year.
view more »Funding will support work related to CDC Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative, National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
view more »Gain an in-depth understanding on how to use the AHRQ Quality Indicators to improve quality and safety of care at your hospital.
view more »Agency will use measure to calculate the proportion of adult patients with active, concurrent prescriptions for opioids or for an opioid and benzodiazepine at discharge.
view more »The funding was distributed as part of the Prevention Epicenters Program, which aims to develop and test new approaches to patient safety and infection prevention.
view more »CDC has received multiple reports of Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) infection clusters in pediatric intensive care units.
view more »The HAC reports might have contained the incorrect hospital name in one table. CMS will distribute new reports to affected hospitals.
view more »CDC's June Vital Signs finds that the number of U.S. residents with Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever increased 286 percent from 2000 to 2014.
view more »The new provisions include updated sprinkler requirements and increased flexibility to allow for facility modernization. Hospitals and other health care facilities must comply with the regulations by July 3.
view more »To prevent spread, agency recommends personal protective equipment (PPE) for labor and delivery personnel and delays in conception, sexual activity for those with symptoms.
view more »The new recommendations are based on principles that promote alternative therapies and minimum effective opioid dosage. CDC also released fact sheets and other resources.
view more »Guide gives providers best practices in fight against central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), one of the most deadly health care-associated infections annually in the United States.
view more »The CDC has organized two events for Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 13-19, and is releasing new patient safety–focused materials on its website.
view more »New instructions are validated by the FDA to ensure they meet proper guidelines to avoid transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
view more »New journal article notes challenges remain since IOM published report, but also points out progress, including reducing CLABSI rates nationwide.
view more »The guidance, open for a 30-day public comment period, will give providers more clarity on the appropriate use of opioid prescriptions outside of cancer and palliative care; comments are due Jan. 13.
view more »Like earlier report, new AHRQ data show that hospitals continued to reduce HAC rates by 17 percent in 2014.
view more »Hospitals must establish and implement policies and procedures for managing alarms starting Jan. 1, 2016.
view more »Benefits of coated, intravascular devices outweigh risks, but hospitals and other providers should remain vigilant and report adverse events, agency says
view more »Obama administration proposal would add drug utilization review and restriction program to Medicare to fight opioid overuse.
view more »FDA cites violations of federal law that could result in an increased risk of infection transmission by company's equipment.
view more »New report from ECRI Institute also lists failure to respond to clinical alarms, unsafe injection practices, and insufficient training among top hazards.
view more »Report on National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care details progress made toward better care, lower costs, and improved health.
view more »Initiative seeks to strengthen healthcare-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, raise awareness of successful strategies, and recognize investment in VTE prevention.
view more »Tool gives physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals access to geographic comparisons of opioid prescribing habits and use.
view more »Explore the role of communications in response to a crisis.
view more »Hospitals should assess units to ensure they are safe and properly maintained and not contaminated with non-tuberculosis mycobacterium. Patients who may have been exposed to NTM should monitor signs of potential infection for several years.
view more »International Infection Prevention Week, Oct. 18-24, raises awareness of patient and family engagement, hand hygiene in infection prevention and patient safety
view more »Agencies say anecdotal reports of intentional nonreporting of infection data have prompted them to emphasize the importance of accurate reporting through strict adherence to NHSN definitions.
view more »CDC and FDA remove language from guidelines that requires health care facilities to verify that vendors involved in maintaining, cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing reusable medical devices are certified by the manufacturer.
view more »The CDC and FDA issued a health advisory alerting providers and facilities to properly maintain, clean, disinfect, and sterilize reusable medical devices. Noncompliance creates a gap in patient safety.
view more »We're making progress in the fight against sepsis - and essential hospitals are doing their part - but we still have much work left to do.
view more »Webinar on reducing sepsis through early detection, patient and family engagement, and evidence-based management
view more »Effort, spearheaded by Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, virtually eliminated early term deliveries with patient, physician engagement
view more »The CDC has added a tool to the NHSN that will rank hospital facilities and units by HAI rate so staff can see areas most in need of help.
view more »Announcement follows recent "superbug" outbreaks at two Los Angeles hospitals that occurred without identified lapses of infection control
view more »Growing evidence shows that engaging patients and their families in care produces safer patient care and better outcomes
view more »Amid troubling reports, essential hospitals work diligently to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors - and succeed
view more »Preliminary estimates show that hospital patients experienced 1.3 million fewer hospital-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013.
view more »Members took an in-depth look at UHC's quality and accountability study to see how association members compare to nonmembers
view more »Jacobi Medical Center implements multiple proven solutions and systemwide communication to reduce CAUTIs
view more »Using a diligent campaign of education, communication, and process changes aimed at reducing hospital-acquired infections, Maricopa Integrated Health System improved patient safety, reduced the incidence of infection, and shortened patients’ length of stay.
view more »Numerous essential hospitals were named to Hospitals & Health Networks magazine's list of 2014 most wired hospitals
view more »Recent articles from Health Affairs, the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, the Journal for Healthcare Quality, and The New England Journal of Medicine explore efforts to reduce readmissions and infection rates, improve patient safety, and more.
view more »Journal articles from the March and April editions of the New England Journal of Medicine explore issues including the usefulness of surgical safety checklists, the importance of promoting financial stewardship, and the impact of Medicaid cost sharing.
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