Did you know that because of improper procedures pertaining to inserting catheters and IVs, it's estimated that 80,000 people annually develop bloodstream infections? And of those patients, 30,000 die?
Here's what should be done:
-Hospital doctors and nurses need to wash their hands
-A sterile hat, mask, and gloves should be worn
-The patient should wear a sterile gown, and a sterile dressing shold be over the catheter site.
(Statistics are from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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At Snyder & Wenner we
strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become
patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from
hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously harmed from a
hospital error please feel free to contact us. The Snyder & Wenner website
can be accessed by clicking the "Patient Safety Advocates" tab
above.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Friday, December 9, 2011
Toy Safety
With the holiday season in full swing, it means that more toys are being purchased.
Here are some tips to keep children safe when it comes to buying toys, taken from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital:
Skip toys with small magnetic pieces for any child under age 6 or under age 10 if they have younger siblings who could easily access the pieces.
Look for well-made toys.
Avoid toys that produce loud noises. High-volume games can permanently impair a child's hearing, and loud sounds can frighten a younger child.
Avoid toys painted with lead paint. Exposure to lead can result in lead poisoning, causing serious damage to a child's brain, kidneys and nervous system.
Avoid electrical toys with heating elements (batteries, electrical plugs) for children under the age of 8. These toys are a potential burn hazard.
Avoid toys with strings, straps or cords longer than 7 inches, which can wrap around a child's neck and accidentally strangle him or her.
Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys before they become dangerous play things for young children.
Riding toys should not be used near stairs, traffic or swimming pools, and that parents can use the cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper to identify small toy parts that are potential choking hazards. "Small children should not play with anything that can fit into one of these cylinders."
A Gift is Not Complete Unless Proper Protective Gear is Included: Bicycles, skates, scooters and skateboards are popular gifts for the holidays, but if children lack the proper protective gear or skills, injury and death can occur. To keep kids safe whenever they "wheel" around, be sure to:
Include a helmet as part of a gift, which according to Safe Kids USA, can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury as much as 88 percent.
Buy stickers or bike reflectors and use them on the front, sides and back of the bike to increase the child's visibility to drivers.
Buy a bike horn or a bell as a stocking stuffer. This tool is essential for warning motorists and pedestrians of a bicyclist's approach.
Don't forget to buy elbow and knee pads as well as wrist guards for skates and skateboards.
Source: MarketWatch
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Here are some tips to keep children safe when it comes to buying toys, taken from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital:
Skip toys with small magnetic pieces for any child under age 6 or under age 10 if they have younger siblings who could easily access the pieces.
Look for well-made toys.
Avoid toys that produce loud noises. High-volume games can permanently impair a child's hearing, and loud sounds can frighten a younger child.
Avoid toys painted with lead paint. Exposure to lead can result in lead poisoning, causing serious damage to a child's brain, kidneys and nervous system.
Avoid electrical toys with heating elements (batteries, electrical plugs) for children under the age of 8. These toys are a potential burn hazard.
Avoid toys with strings, straps or cords longer than 7 inches, which can wrap around a child's neck and accidentally strangle him or her.
Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys before they become dangerous play things for young children.
Riding toys should not be used near stairs, traffic or swimming pools, and that parents can use the cardboard tube from a roll of toilet paper to identify small toy parts that are potential choking hazards. "Small children should not play with anything that can fit into one of these cylinders."
A Gift is Not Complete Unless Proper Protective Gear is Included: Bicycles, skates, scooters and skateboards are popular gifts for the holidays, but if children lack the proper protective gear or skills, injury and death can occur. To keep kids safe whenever they "wheel" around, be sure to:
Include a helmet as part of a gift, which according to Safe Kids USA, can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury as much as 88 percent.
Buy stickers or bike reflectors and use them on the front, sides and back of the bike to increase the child's visibility to drivers.
Buy a bike horn or a bell as a stocking stuffer. This tool is essential for warning motorists and pedestrians of a bicyclist's approach.
Don't forget to buy elbow and knee pads as well as wrist guards for skates and skateboards.
Source: MarketWatch
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Thursday, December 8, 2011
More on Drug Shortages
Medical News Today recently published an article online about the drug shortages currently happening.
The article states that, "The impact of drug shortages on patient care can be 'devastating', especially when alternative drugs are also unavailable, with patients likely to encounter delays in treatment, have their procedures canceled, or being administered with alternative, less effective drugs or drugs with more side effects. The researchers established that "Drug shortages can therefore increase risks to patients, and can also have a negative impact on institutions."
To read the full article, click here.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
The article states that, "The impact of drug shortages on patient care can be 'devastating', especially when alternative drugs are also unavailable, with patients likely to encounter delays in treatment, have their procedures canceled, or being administered with alternative, less effective drugs or drugs with more side effects. The researchers established that "Drug shortages can therefore increase risks to patients, and can also have a negative impact on institutions."
To read the full article, click here.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Safer Healthcare Video
"Patient lives are at stake."
David Marshall, President of Safer Healthcare, discusses the issues pertaining to patient safety in a video below.
Hand Hygiene
Good hand hygiene: It not only helps protect you from harmful
diseases, but it can protect others around you as well. When it comes to
patient safety, it’s extra important.
Unfortunately, researchers in the United Kingdom discovered that
the use of gloves reduces the level of hand hygiene.
It was also found that health care providers had improved their
hand hygiene practices when they knew they were being watched and videotaped.
Here are some tips for successful hand hygiene that was published
in the November issue of Nursing2011:
- Keep
it simple - format CDC guidelines into simple messages and
define dirty and clean zones.
- Place
hand-hygiene products where they're needed - at the point of care and at
the entrance to and exit from the patient environment.
- Integrate
hand hygiene needs into workflow.
- Ensure
multidisciplinary involvement.
- Provide
ongoing education.
- Monitor
compliance and share results.
- Remember the direct impact of hand hygiene on patients and families.
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