In renumbering its EC standards, The Joint Commission has made some notable revisions that safety officers will want to be aware of:
The revised EC standards go into effect on January 1, 2009.
[ via Hospital Safety Connection ]
The Journal of the American Medical Association has published a study from the University of Amsterdam on "Electromagnetic Interference from Radio Frequency Identification Inducing Potentially Hazardous Incidents in Criticare Medical Equipment" (JAMA June 25, 2008-Vol 299, No. 24) in which they documented a number of cases of interference with a variety of commonly used critical medical devices. This well documented study shows that RFID devices in both the active and passive design may cause interference to critical medical devices.
Interference classified as hazardous was noted in a range from six feet to a few inches for nine different types of medical devices. The author's state that the tests are based on the specific signal characteristics of their RFID system and do not necessarily apply "to other RFID systems if based on different signal characteristics or deployments."
In addition, in order to mimic a worst case scenario, they used maximum power settings. Their conclusion is that RFID systems should have on-site Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) tests done before installing a system.
With the number of wireless devices being introduced into hospitals increasing, this study should remind hospitals to properly manage the use of the electromagnetic spectrum in-house by pre-installation testing under all reasonable operating conditions of wireless medical devices and continuous monitoring and investigation of all reports of "interference."
[ via ASHE E-News ]
In a press release issued last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the long-awaited sprinkler regulation for nursing homes would be published by the agency.
The rule would require all existing nursing homes without sprinklers to retroactively install the equipment, with a five-year phase-in period from the date of the rule’s publication.
The press release doesn’t say when the regulation will actually be published, though. A CMS spokesperson had not returned our call for comment as of early Wednesday afternoon.
However, a CMS official who spoke at the National Fire Protection Association’s World Safety Conference earlier this month indicated that the regulation was due sometime this summer.
[ via Hospital Safety Connection ]
A new movement around evidence-based design has become popular when constructing new hospitals around the country, reports the Jacksonville Business Journal. This type of design takes into account proven scientific approaches when building hospitals, a trend that has been growing during the last 20 years. Researchers analyzed hundreds of studies from the Center for Health Design and found that there was a direct correlation between the way hospitals are designed and patient outcomes. Some of the findings that hospitals are taking into consideration include: To read the article, click here. [ via Patient Safety Monitor ]
The American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services has partnered with MultiBriefs to create Briefings in Healthcare Environmental Services, a free email publication providing weekly news briefings of interest to the field. The first issue was distributed June 5.
Each edition will contain articles gathered from leading publications in the field, the AHA, other trade organizations and general news sources. “We look forward to providing our subscribers with top industry news of current events and practices,” said ASHES Executive Director Patti Costello.
To subscribe, visit http://www.ashes.org or http://multibriefs.com/optin.php?ashes. ASHES is an AHA personal membership group.
Fred Rogers, VP/Chief Resource Officer for Rush Foundation Hospital, has been selected by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) to receive the prominent Emerging Regional Leader Award. This award recognizes some of the most promising grassroots members for outstanding leadership and contributions to field of healthcare facility management and their local chapter. Rogers will receive recognition during the Opening Ceremony of the 45th Annual ASHE Conference and Technical Exhibition, in Prince Georges County, Maryland, on Monday, July 21, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
The American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services on April 28 launched ASHES CareerLink, an interactive job board serving employers and job seekers.
“We’re very excited about ASHES CareerLink, because we know how critical it is for employers in the health care environmental services industry to attract first-rate talent with a minimum expenditure of time and resources,” said ASHES President Tina Cermignano. “And it’s important for our organization to help enable smooth career transitions and progression for those seeking jobs in the health care environmental services industry.”
ASHES is an American Hospital Association personal membership group for professionals in health care environmental services, housekeeping, waste management and textile care.
The American Hospital Association and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering on April 30 released This New Hospital, the first in a new series of videos to educate hospital managers and workers about the challenges of safely and effectively conducting construction projects in the health care environment. The 30-minute DVD walks viewers through the planning, design and construction process for a hospital renovation project, and shows what it takes to keep a hospital operating as the healing environment is renovated.
A complimentary copy will be sent later this month to all ASHE members and AHA-member hospital CEOs. To download a sample clip from the video, visit www.ashe.org.
The new DVD series is called Healthcare Construction Television. ASHE is an AHA personal membership group.
Attention Biomedical Engineers: Do you have at least 5 years of work experience in your profession? If so, Research Triangle Institute, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor would like to have your input in updating O*NET, which is a free resource for millions of employers, workers, educators, and students.
O*NET is currently researching the skills, abilities, knowledge and tasks associated with the occupation of Biomedical Engineers. And you can help provide the most accurate information about the occupation.
This is a worthwhile endeavor and will help the general public to understand the complexity and responsibilities of Biomedical Engineers. If you are interested in assisting with this project please email Traci Davis at the at the O*NET Operations Center with the following:
Name
Address
Daytime Phone number
Email address
Years of work experience in the occupation of Biomedical Engineer
Your sub-specialty
Years of education or highest degree
Certifications (if any)
Please respond by April 21, 2008.
Volunteers are selected at random to participate. Those selected will be asked to fill out questionnaires, which take approximately 90 minutes to complete, that can be done a little here or there to fit into busy schedules.
Participants will receive $40 and a framed Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Department of Labor. The information you give about the occupation will be combined with responses from other Biomedical Engineers from across the country and will become the government reference for this occupation on www.onetcenter.org. Personal information submitted by participants will be kept confidential.
For more information or put your name in, contact Traci E. Davis, O*NET Operations Center, RTI International, at tdavis@onet.rti.org.
[ via ASHE E*News ]
The American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services has issued an online tool to help members understand their role in achieving the Institute of Medicine’s six aims for health care quality improvement. Available to ASHES members at www.ashes.org, the tool includes an overview of the six aims and background on the associated IOM report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm.”
ASHES plans to make connections between each of the six aims and the educational sessions at its 2008 annual conference, Sept. 7-11 in San Antonio, TX. ASHES is an American Hospital Association personal membership group.
