MHA Society for Health Care Engineers

ASHES launches online business directory

The American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services, an American Hospital Association personal membership group, has launched an online business directory to help professionals in the field quickly locate needed products and services. Developed with MultiView Inc., which publishes field-specific search engines, the Internet search engine can be downloaded as a desktop application and includes a tool that lets users easily contact a group of suppliers.

“We are excited about offering this powerful tool as a valuable enhancement to our member benefits,” said ASHES Executive Director Patti Costello.

AHRQ Releases New DVD about Designing Hospitals for Safety and Quality

The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) released a new DVD that provides evidence to help hospital officials and architects design safer, high-quality hospitals. This new two-part DVD illustrates the value of evidence-based hospital design—a phrase used to describe how the physical design of health care environments affects patients and staff.

The first part entitled, Transforming Hospitals: Designing for Safety and Quality, gives a brief 13-minute overview and provides current examples of how evidence-based hospital design increases patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of care that results in higher staff satisfaction, recruitment, and retention. The second part, Transforming Hospitals: Three Case Studies, is 36 minutes and features the experiences of three hospitals that incorporated principles of evidence-based hospital design into new construction and renovation projects. These facilities include Griffin Hospital, Derby, CT; Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, MD; and Woodwinds Health Campus, Woodbury, MN.

With an estimated $250 billion construction boom in the hospital industry over the next 10 years, the DVD is expected to be of significant interest to hospital executives and architects planning or implementing construction and renovation projects. For more information, click here. Copies of the DVD can be obtained by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.   

OSHA warns to avoid hazards in cleaning electronic medical equipment

An October 31 public health notification identified hazards to patients and healthcare workers when using cleaning solutions on electronic medical equipment.

The warning, issued jointly by the CDC, OSHA, the Federal Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, says that the use of excessive cleaning and disinfectant liquids on certain electronic medical equipment has caused equipment fires and other damage, equipment malfunctions, and healthcare worker burns.

The public health notification specifically listed problems with equipment such as infusion pumps, ventilators, and patient-controlled analgesia pumps but says that the hazard warning "may be relevant to any equipment that has unsealed electronic circuitry or components, such as computer workstations, handheld devices and other monitoring equipment."

You can find the notice here.

[ via Infection Control Monitor ]

FDA issues notice on equipment cleaning hazards

The Food and Drug Administration last week issued a notice on how to prevent hazards due to inappropriate use of cleaners and disinfectants on electronic medical equipment, which can cause it to malfunction.

Patti Costello, executive director of the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services, an AHA personal membership group, said, “On behalf of the ASHES membership, I am pleased to see our collaborative discussions have resulted in clarity of the guidelines for handling and cleaning of electronic medical devices. Minimizing the potential for cross contamination and patient and worker injuries is critical, but of equal importance is the emphasis on the process of proper cleaning and disinfecting in accordance with manufacturers guidelines. In the interest of safety, ASHES will continue to communicate to our membership the importance of requiring manufacturers’ instructions for cleaning and disinfecting in accordance with FDA’s notice.”

[ via AHA News Now ]