Health-Care Staff Training News

Government Recommends Penalties to Decrease Hospital-Acquired Infections

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently held a hearing on health-care-associated infections (HAIs), and recommended that regulators tighten their standards for hospitals in order to prevent HAIs. The suggested standards range from hand washing to more involved measures, and compliance should be mandatory for government reimbursement, said the committee. These types of infections are responsible for up to 99,000 deaths each year in the United States and up to $5 billion in extra costs, according to the Government Accountability Office.

For written and video testimony from the hearing, go to: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1865

As part of the follow-up to this hearing, Representative Henry Waxman, the committee's chairman, has sent letters to each of the nation's state hospital associations requesting information about their efforts to halt the epidemic of health-care-associated infections and whether proven solutions have been implemented.

For more information and to view the letter, go to: http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1937

Make sure the staff at your facility practice good hand hygiene

"Hand Hygiene -- What All Health-Care Staff Should Know" (EM73401)A

It's not just a matter of personal hygiene, it's a matter of patient safety. This valuable guide helps staff members learn the whys and how-tos of proper hand washing. Explains hand washing's key role in infection control, provides step-by-step instructions, and includes a self-quiz. 16 pages, 5 1/2" x 8"

To place a secure online order, go to:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/detailForItem?p=1&itemno=EM73401

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Focus on Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals

Reducing the Risk of Surgical Fires

This month, the goal we are focusing on is National Patient Safety Goal #11: Reduce the risk of surgical fires. This goal has one requirement:

11A -- Educate staff, including operating licensed independent practitioners and anesthesia providers, on how to control heat sources and manage fuels with enough time for patient preparation, and establish guidelines to minimize oxygen concentration under drapes.

Implementation expectations:

1. Organizations assess the risk for surgical fires based on equipment and procedures used.
2. Organizations establish guidelines to minimize oxygen concentrations under drapes.
3. Organizations that identify themselves as being at risk provide staff training on methods to minimize oxygen concentration under drapes.
4. Organizations that identify themselves as being at risk provide staff training on methods to avoid the use of flammable solutions and materials.
5. Organizations that identify themselves as being at risk provide staff training on actions to take in the event of a surgical fire.

Make fire safety a priority with this informative booklet

"Fire Safety In Health-Care Facilities -- What You Need To Know" (EM72403)A

This guide discusses safe use of electrical equipment, caution around combustibles, extinguisher use, and more, and includes a quiz to measure what staff members have learned. 16 pages, 5 1/2" x 8"

To learn more, or to place an online order, go to:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/detailForItem?p=1&itemno=EM72403

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Training and Education Tips

This month: Skills-Check Fairs

Completing training and competency checks across departments can be difficult to coordinate and time-consuming. Why not consider holding a skills-check fair for your facility's next training or competency evaluation?

You'll need a large room, such as an auditorium or a lecture hall, that can be set up with multiple skill stations. Staff can visit the various stations and demonstrate their competency in the required skills either when it's convenient for them or at assigned times. This works well for hands-on skills like CPR and airway intubation, and offers space to test skills like cultural competencies and communication via quizzes or role-playing activities.

Skills-check fairs can be done as annual events or held on a more frequent basis. A fair could be held throughout a single day or over multiple days. And you can add fun elements to increase employee enthusiasm for the event. Simple things like refreshments, raffle drawings, and giveaways can really help boost attendance.

You can submit your own ideas for use in future newsletters! If yours is published, you'll receive a free gift -- and it's great publicity for your organization. Mail your training ideas to akowaleck@channing-bete.com with "Staff Training Idea" in the subject line.

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New Product Spotlight

"Preventing Patient Falls -- A Guide For Health-Care Staff" (EM22883)A

Falls can take a high toll on patients' physical and emotional well-being, as well as on health-care costs. This illuminating booklet helps staff members quickly perfect their fall-prevention skills with tips on recognizing risk factors for falling (both extrinsic and intrinsic), using a variety of fall-assessment tools (including the Morse Fall Scale and the Hendrich Fall Risk Scale), and developing individualized fall-prevention plans. Provides special guidance on working with confused or disoriented patients; stresses the importance of effective communication among staff members, patients, and their families; and includes a quiz to test staff-member knowledge. 16 pages, 5 1/2" x 8"

To place a secure online order, go to:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/detailForItem?p=1&itemno=EM22883

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I find the current and proposed Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals?

A: A great resource for this is the National Patient Safety Goals section of the Joint Commission's Web site: http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/NationalPatientSafetyGoals/. And, of course, you can always count on this e-newsletter to highlight different goals each month and keep you abreast of the proposed goals for 2009.

Q: Are any of your staff training videos available in DVD format, or are they only available in VHS?

A: We offer the following training videos in DVD format:
"Pandemic Influenza: The Role Of Healthcare Workers, Part 1: History And Virology Of Pandemic Influenza" (EM87535)
"Pandemic Influenza: The Role Of Healthcare Workers, Part 2: Recognizing Influenza, Treatments And Patient Education" (EM87551)
"Pandemic Influenza: The Role Of Healthcare Workers, Part 3: Infection Control And Public Health Measures" (EM87576)
"Pandemic Influenza: The Role Of Healthcare Workers, 3-Part DVD Series" (EM87592)
"Bioterrorism And Other Emergencies: Be Prepared, Be Safe" (EM87355)
"Getting Ready For Bioterrorism: Preparing The Healthcare Community For Biological, Chemical And Radiological Weapons" (EM87314)
"Emergency Management Planning" (EM87510)
"Patient Safety: Your First Concern" (EM87453)
"Resident Safety: Your First Concern" (EM87478)
"Confidentiality: Who Needs To Know" (EM87322)
"Informed Consent: Legal Liability Issues" (EM87404)
"Emergency Care: Legal Liability Issues" (EM87412)
"Bloodborne Safety: Universal Precautions, Standard Precautions, And Needlestick Prevention In Acute Care" (EM87306)
"Needlestick Prevention" (EM87420)
"Lifting Safely To Prevent Injury" (EM87396)
"Fire Safety And Evacuation Carries" (EM87330)

You'll find all of these DVDs at:
http://go.channing-bete.com/wa/promotion?p=1&code=L310G

Do you have a question for the Channing Bete Company® experts? Send it to kbalboni@channing-bete.com.

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