As of June 12, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that approximately 75,000 cases of COVID-19 were healthcare providers in the US. Healthcare providers are on the front lines and are at high risk of infection. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is paramount in helping to protect them from infection. Yet, PPE...Read More
Over the past year, there’s been a lot of discussion about how hospital pharmacies can prepare for USP 800. While hazardous drug safety is not a new concern, the new regulations set forth in USP 800 will require most hospitals to make significant changes in order to achieve and maintain compliance. However, even though the...Read More
Over the past year, several reported instances of patient infections related to mold have escalated concerns within the healthcare community. Understanding how these infections can occur, and what your hospital can do to prevent them, is essential for patient safety and hospital reputation. What are hospital-acquired fungal infections? True to their name, hospital-acquired fungal...Read More
While regulations for sterile compounding have been around for decades, many hospital pharmacies around the country have been racing to meet compliance with the new USP 800. Unlike the current standards set by USP 797, which are generally designed to protect the product, USP 800 aims to regulate employee protection. It provides requirements for healthcare...Read More
The most widely publicized sterile drug compound contamination outbreak was traced back to the New England Compounding Center in 2012. This outbreak led to more than 800 cases and 64 deaths. The direct cause of these infections was fungal contamination of methylprednisolone that led to the development of fungal meningitis. Perhaps the most shocking detail...Read More
Design engineers and building owners should take notice: small features intended to prevent headaches down the line could be increasing their risk of waterborne infections. Many building systems are designed to allow for future expansion, which can lead to “dead legs” in domestic plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This extra piping...Read More
The problem of Legionella bacteria growth in complex water systems has been known for decades, but recent changes to regulatory requirements have created a compliance issue for many healthcare facilities. If your hospital doesn’t currently have an effective water management program, it’s time to make creating one a priority. Since the Centers for Medicare and...Read More
Healthcare-acquired infections aren’t just dangerous to patients — they can also be very costly for the facilities in question. Since procedures and processes that are high risk for infection are performed in places like operating rooms and central processing, ensuring proper pressurization and ventilation to avoid infection is a matter of life and death. The...Read More
Construction is an inevitability at healthcare facilities. Improvements and updates need to be made and construction can be a complex — and potentially dangerous — process within hospitals. Any size construction project can risk exposing patients to dust and mold spores, noise, vibrations, odors or chemicals. Guide to Infection Prevention and Control within the Physical...Read More
Between 2011 and 2014, 29 patients at the Veterans Administration hospital in Pittsburgh, PA were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, with confirmation of at least five of the cases acquired at the hospital. The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General later tied the deadly outbreak to deficiencies in the water system. Records show that not only...Read More
