Osha Bloodborne Pathogens ( Bbp ) Standard Revision And Needlestick Injuries Essay

The Joint Commission Accreditation Body assesses health care organization’s compliance with National Patient Safety Goals. The goal of the Joint Commission Body is to focus on critical aspects and patient safety issues in health care organizations, which can vary according to the setting of the health care being performed (Chassin, 2008). Infections occurring in surgical sites of patients account for 15% of all infections that transpire in a hospital setting, and the risk of death doubles in patients who develop infections. The dangers of surgical site infections include superficial, deep, and organ or space infections. The different infections include cellulitis, gangrene, MRSA, and wound sinus, which can lead to amputation, organ

The Joint Commission has instituted a number of goals nationally; the aim is to improve patient’s safety. The goals selected look at areas that are of concern in the healthcare industry particularly how it affect patients safety and make recommendations how to reduce if not eradicated these. The Joint Commission is the governing body that accredited hospitals and other health care organizations. The two hospitals that this paper will be comparing, using the goals and criteria recommended by the Joint commission, is Holy Cross Hospital located at 1500 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, MD and Shady Grove Hospital situated at, 9901 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD.

Over the last several years, a wide variety of health care organizations have been facing a number of challenges. This is because of pressures associated with: rising costs, increasing demands and larger numbers of patients. For many facilities this has created a situation where patient safety issues are often overlooked. This is because the staff is facing tremendous amounts of pressure, long hours and more patients. The combination of these factors has created a situation where a variety of hospitals need to improve their patient safety procedures. In the case of Sharp Memorial Hospital, they are focused on addressing these issues through different strategies. To fully understand how they are able to achieve these objectives requires looking at: specific ways the organization has responded to the crisis in medical errors, their definition of patient safety, the causes of errors, systematic barriers and transformations that have been adopted. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how the facility is coping with the crisis in patient safety.

A campaign called, “Clean Hands Save Lives” endorsed by the CDC in the year 2015 put an emphasis on five simple steps to avoid or reduce illnesses. The steps are the following and to be carried out in that order: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, and dry (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, pg. 458). In addition to performing hand hygiene, gloves must also be used when handling any type of specimen. The use of PPE or Personal protective equipment is important as it protects the wearer from any type of injury or infection. (PPE) Healthcare facilities disclose the type of contact precaution outside a patient’s door. For example, a label for Airborne Precautions indicate that a respiratory protection device (N95 respirator) must be worn in order to enter the room and while interacting with the patient. A room with Droplet Precautions requires the use of a mask or respirator. On the other hand, a room with Contact Precautions indicates the use of gloves and gowns, and a room with category Protective Environment requires protection with HEPA filtration, mask, gloves, and gowns (Potter et al., pg 459).

Blaire, J., Fottler, M. D., & Savage, G. T. (Eds.). (2008). Advances in Health Care Management, Volume 7: Patient Safety in Health Care Management. Bradford, GBR: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

OSHA standards mandate that the Practice implement controls, work and safety procedures and that it provide personal protective equipment which, when combined with employee training, will reduce on-the-job risks for all employees who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals, blood borne pathogens, or other infectious diseases.

Prevention strategies of nosocomial infections related to poor hand hygiene include revision of: orientation, training processes, competency assessments, equipment cleaning, handwashing procedures, switching to the use of single-use IV flush vials, adding strategically located waterless hand rubs, defining supervisory expectations, conducting in-services, team trainings, and tracking systems (Infection control related sentinel events, 2003). Potential solutions to noncompliance include: consistent skin protectant application, reduced time required for handwashing, and antiseptic stations at the bedside and room entry points (Boyce, 1999). Hospital administrators must create an organizational atmosphere in which adherence to recommended HH practices are considered an integral part of providing high-quality care (Boyce, 1999). Improvement in infection control

Records should be regularly analysed so that problem areas can be identified and decisions about the development of new or updated injury prevention strategies can be made. These decisions can help to prevent future injuries and will contribute towards cost management for the organisation. Immediate response documentation and record keeping for an accident may include time and date of incident, how the incident occurred, who witnessed and reported the incident, injury description, details of first aid applied and who it was reported to. When infection control hazards and incidents are reported immediately, it helps ensure prompt investigation, assessment and long and short-term control development. This then becomes part of the critical management cycle of ensuring hazards and risks are

Gloves, goggles, masks and gowns are minimum recommended requirements of PPE in any clinical environment where contact with blood or bodily fluid is likely (HSE 2011). Although wearing gloves does not prevent injury. It minimises exposure and cross contamination, reducing the risk of infection (AFPP 2011). The healthcare professional in the diary decided not to wear gloves because they catch on her rings and tear. This suggests that the rings have jagged edges or stones, which potentially could cause injury to the patient and also pose as an infection risk. Professional guidelines also dictate that staff should be bare below the

In health care settings across the country patient care is compromised by various preventable mistakes. Health care workers (HCW) are continuously pushing the boundaries of time constraints. As these demands are increased the possibility for poor patient outcomes also increase. Prevention is the first line of defense and promotes healthy practices for HCW and patients. The Joint Commission (TJC) collects data pertaining to the incidences, information surrounding each case and establishes a national quality and safety standard. TJC accredits thousands of health care establishments with the goal to provide safety and increase the quality of care provided in each setting. In 2016 TJC released a new set of National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG). The goals are meant to bring awareness to the accredited facilities and HCW of concerning hazards that need to be focused on. For instance, using two identifiers when identifying a patient to prevent medical errors, and preforming hand hygiene to reduce the risk of infections.

One the main roles healthcare workers (HCWs) can do is to provide patients with a safe environment whilst they are in the healthcare setting. In providing clinical safety to patients HCWs are ensuring that the patient will be safe from preventable adverse events occurring to them whilst they are in the hospital setting. Patient safety should be a of high priority to the healthcare setting and HCWs. Nursing staff are the main providers of care to patients whilst in the healthcare setting and have many responsibilities in delivering safe patient care. Whilst in the healthcare setting patients are vulnerable and at the hand of healthcare workers, thus it is extremely important for healthcare workers to maintain hand hygiene. To maintain a

In addition to the Bloodborne Pathogen Rule, many individual states have developed the EmployeesRight-To-Know laws that support and expand on OSHA regulations to a work place where exposure to infectious agents is possible. “Embalmers must be aware of the duties and responsibilities that are imposed on them by the laws and rules of various jurisdictions within which they practice” (Mayer, pg. 53). Embalmers should treat all cases as if the decedent contracted an infectious disease. In the Bloodborne Pathogen Rule, it mentions that we must comply with work practice controls, which is common sense steps in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to infectious agents. “Common work practices that contribute to a hygienic environment

"Effects Of A National Safe Patient Handling Program On Nursing Injury Incidence Rates." JONA: The Journal Of Nursing Administration, vol 44, no. 10, 2014, pp. 525-534. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health),

In addition to these overarching regulatory and accreditation standards, individual institutions often also develop their own policies and procedures designed to promote patient safety. The guidelines established by organizations and initiatives related to patient safety will inform administrative and organizational policy. Although there will be some variation from institution to institution, all regulations should ultimately be rooted in evidence.

If you are a health worker, always wear protective gloves in situations that involve exposure to blood or other body fluids.