Recent highly publicized outbreaks of infections linked to improper reprocessing of flexible endoscopes have raised concerns about infection prevention in gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures. Because of the headlines, legislatures are hearing from their constituents that they are fearful of being exposed to infections, and legislatures are getting involved. The Society of…

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Moving quickly up the ranks of the top 10 most frequently scored standards for Joint Commission accreditation is EC.02.05.01. At the end of 2012, this standard was just barely in tenth place, with 34% of hospitals noncompliant. By the first half of 2013, it had moved to fourth place and…

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For the first time, cardiac catheterization laboratory personnel have a document defining best practices, including time-outs, infection prevention, and preprocedure checklists. The statement, from The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), issued in March 2012, is the first to represent consensus on the operation of cath labs, the lead…

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What’s on the Joint Commission’s list of problem standards? The top 10 scored standards didn’t change much in 2011. Five of the top 10 are Environment of Care/Life Safety issues. Here’s a look at the trouble spots as identified at the Joint Commission’s executive briefing in late 2011.   Medical…

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All of Rhode Island's 13 acute care hospitals have agreed to a single safe-surgery protocol, in what is thought to be a first for a state. The protocol, announced in July 2009, outlines steps for 3 phases of surgery—briefing, time-out, and debriefing—and includes elements of the Joint Commission Universal Protocol…

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Your facility is having a baby boom. The number of cesarean births is exceeding the obstetrical unit's capacity. Administrators want the OR to perform the overflow cases. What plans do you make for patient safety and care of both mother and newborn? The cesarean birth rate has risen by more…

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AORN offered updates on 3 of its recommended practices for 2009 at its annual Congress in March in Chicago: high-level disinfection cleaning and processing of flexible endoscopes surgical hand antisepsis. The first 2 recommended practices appear in the 2009 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices book. The third will be issued…

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The code of ethics that guides relations between medical device companies and health care professionals has had a major update. The trade group AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association) issued a comprehensive revision of its ethics code in December 2008. The revised code is effective July 1, 2009. The purpose, AdvaMed…

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AORN has updated 7 recommended practices (RPs) for 2008. Highlights were covered at the AORN Congress March 30 to April 4 in Anaheim. Here are selected highlights, which were presented by members of the Recommended Practices Committee. For the complete text, see AORN's 2008 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices. Each…

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A regular column on sterilization and infection control issues. When you sterilize an instrument set, you know what the standards are. Sterilizers must provide a sterility assurance level (SAL) of 10 to the minus 6 (10-6). Biological indicators are used to test the efficacy of the sterilizer. Chemical indicators or…

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