State Sen. Lois Wolk wants to encourage – not require – that
health care workers get annual flu vaccinations if they come into
contact with patients in hospitals and nursing homes. No
right-thinking person could possibly oppose her legislation.
California and 20 other states have posted decreases in central
line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in 2010,
according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. This translates to a 32% national reduction.
It’s important to the general public that health care workers
receive influenza inoculations, according to Senate member Lois
Wolk (D-Davis), who was recently before the Senate Committee on
Health to introduce SB 1318, which she hopes will increase the
vaccination rate among health care professionals.
Pharmaceutical robotics has made its way from futuristic,
cutting-edge technology to almost becoming just another highly
sophisticated tool with great benefits. Leaders at the
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, say their
robotic system has greatly improved safety.
Many patients infected by the deadly superbug Clostridium
difficile, long thought to be contracted mainly during hospital
stays, are already exposed when they are admitted to the
hospital, U.S. infectious disease experts said on Tuesday. Rates
of C. difficile, the most common hospital-based infection in the
United States, continue to climb. The infection can cause severe
diarrhea, inflammation and bleeding in the colon, and death.
The
Patient’s Checklist is a book of 10 checklists that address
many of the essentials for a hospital stay, including sections on
what to bring with you, medication management, how to make your
hospital stay safer and more comfortable, and planning for your
discharge.
The best way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active
member of your health care team. That means taking part in every
decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who
are more involved with their care tend to get better results.
Certain California hospitals are taking steps to dramatically
reduce early elective deliveries, citing the dangers of early
births for women and infants and the potential cost savings of
curbing the practice, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Hospitals have a responsibility to make sure their workers get
flu shots or, if some employees can’t or won’t, to require them
to wear masks when they’re around patients. The motto “first, do
no harm” is the oath that doctors take, and it should apply to
all hospital employees.
Providence Health & Services, with more than 3,500 nurses in
its Los Angeles-area hospitals and other healthcare centers, is
creating a Nursing Institute to advance quality patient care
through professional development, education, technology and
research.
December 19, 2011Contra Costa Times, December 18, 2011
Influenza vaccination rates vary widely at Bay Area hospitals,
prompting some advocates to call for mandatory policies and
stepped-up educational campaigns to prevent hospital workers from
infecting others.
December 8, 2011Lake County News, December 6, 2011
State public health officials are urging Californians to get
immunized against influenza as part of National Influenza
Vaccination Week, which this year takes place Dec. 4-10, and also
are taking steps to encourage more vaccinations among health care
workers based on the findings of a newly released report.
This year’s flu season is off to a mild start, but confirmed
cases have been seen in 30 states so far — and January and
Feburary are often the peak.
Which is why health officials on Monday urged Americans to get
their flu shots or flu nasal sprays now, so “you’re protected
before the holiday season begins, when you get on that plane,
train or bus to go see loved ones,” says Anne Schuchat, director
of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
December 1, 2011MountainView Voice, November 30, 2011
El Camino Hospital has seen a significant drop in reported cases
of a serious infection commonly found in hospitals and nursing
homes across the country, hospital officials said.
Hospital-related infections like sepsis are important to catch
early. That’s why San Diego hospitals are involved in a statewide
initiative to prevent these infections. KPBS Health
Reporter Kenny Goldberg takes a look at what one San Diego
hospital is doing to protect patients.
October 13, 2011Los Angeles Times, October 6, 2011
California’s hospitals have a message for the public: They’re
dedicated to safe patient care.
The California Hospital Assn. has launched a television and
Internet campaign to focus attention on efforts by hospitals to
prevent infections and improve medical outcomes.
“Hospitals across California are making huge strides in improving
the quality of care by advancing a culture of safety,” said
association President C. Duane Dauner. “Our campaign will
highlight these efforts, as well as engage patients as our
partners, with reminders about good safety practices that
everyone should follow.”
September 11, 2011Sacramento Business Journal, Aug. 26, 2011
Hospitals throughout California are making significant strides in
their ongoing efforts to reduce the risk of infection for
patients — an essential component of providing high-quality care
and keeping patients safe during their hospital stay.
The goal: Cut costs and save lives by preventing hospital-related
infections from taking root. ‘We’re definitely making progress,’
says a doctor in Newport Beach.
August 3, 2011California Healthline, August 2, 2011
Physicians, nurses and caregivers in California have begun
receiving training on treating the blood infection sepsis as part
of a three-year, $6 million statewide program to improve patient
safety and cut health care costs, the Sacramento Business Journal
reports.
June 10, 2011San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 2011
Over the years, leaders in industry have learned that doing
something right often costs less than doing it wrong. This week
we’ll come together in San Francisco to talk about how applying
that principle in health care can protect lives and save billions
of dollars.
By taking relatively simple steps and arming health care workers
with greater knowledge, Bay Area medical centers have made
dramatic strides in reducing death rates from sepsis, the leading
preventable cause of deaths in hospitals.
March 8, 2011University of California San Francisco News, March 7, 2011
With a new automated hospital pharmacy, believed to be the
nation’s most comprehensive, UCSF is using robotic technology and
electronics to prepare and track medications with the goal of
improving patient safety.
February 15, 2011California HealthLine, February 09, 2011
Debby Rogers of the California Hospital Association, Kim
Delahanty of the UC-San Diego Health System, and Kevin Reilly of
the Department of Public Health spoke with California Healthline
about efforts to curb health care-associated infections.
February 8, 2011California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting, January 24, 2011
City of Hope is an outlier in the world of hospital infections.
Its physicians perform 500 bone marrow transplants a year, a
third of all such transplants in California.
Its infection totals are higher than at most because its patients
are so vulnerable, and the staff must be extra vigilant in
diagnosing and recording infections.
Pressure ulcers – also known as bed sores – are among the five
most common types of healthcare-acquired conditions experienced
by hospitalized patients. But efforts underway at hospitals
across California are showing dramatic results in the prevention
of these skin lesions.
Every year, more than 50,000 sick or premature babies are
delivered in California’s community hospitals. Typically,
these vulnerable infants have immature immune systems and are at
risk for acquiring infections. Riverside County Regional
Medical Center implemented a new program to reduce its annual
infection rate to zero. This is one of three new patient
safety case studies presented by California’s community hospitals
in a new video issue short.
SACRAMENTO – Highlighting the importance of flu vaccinations in
reducing the risks of illness and infections among patients,
state public health officials have joined with a group of
statewide health care providers to urge all health care workers
to get their annual flu shots.
Access to safe, high quality care for all patients is the mission
of California’s community hospitals. Through focused
hospital-based initiatives and regional and statewide patient
safety collaboratives, hospitals are leading the way into a new
era in patient safety. To showcase these efforts, the California
Hospital Association (CHA) today launched a statewide patient
safety awareness campaign.
Access to safe, high quality care for all patients is the mission
of California’s community hospitals. Through focused
hospital-based initiatives and regional and statewide patient
safety collaboratives, hospitals are leading the way into a new
era in patient safety.
For more information about California’s community hospitals and
their commitment to patient safety, please use this form to send
us your inquiry or your comments.
