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· C. Infection Control Objectives for a Personnel Health Service
· D. Elements of a Personnel Health Service for Infection Control
· H. Emergency-Response Personnel
· J. The Americans With Disabilities Act
The updated recommendations are aimed at the leaders and staff of Occupational Health Services (OHS) and the administrators and leaders of healthcare organizations (HCO) and are intended to facilitate the provision of occupational infection prevention and control (IPC) services to HCP and prevent the spread of infections between HCP and others. Additional updates to the 1998 Guideline are underway and will be published in the future. Updates in Part I include:
· a broader range of elements necessary for providing occupational IPC services to HCP;
· applicability to the wider range of healthcare settings where patient care is now delivered, including hospital-based, long-term care, and outpatient settings such as ambulatory and home healthcare; and
· expanded guidance on policies and procedures for occupational IPC services and strategies for delivering occupational IPC services to HCP.
New topics include:
· administrative support and resource allocation for OHS by senior leaders and management,
· service oversight by OHS leadership, and
· use of performance measures to track occupational IPC services and guide quality improvement initiatives.
At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to accomplish the following:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a new Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics - PDF. Individual patients, as well as the health of the public, benefit when opioids are prescribed only when the benefit of using opioids outweighs the risks. But once a patient is on opioids for a prolonged duration, any abrupt change in the patient’s regimen may put the patient at risk of harm and should include a thorough, deliberative case review and discussion with the patient. The HHS Guide provides advice to clinicians who are contemplating or initiating a change in opioid dosage.
“Care must be a patient-centered experience. We need to treat people with compassion, and emphasize personalized care tailored to the specific circumstances and unique needs of each patient,” said Adm. Brett P. Giroir, M.D., assistant secretary for health. “This Guide provides more resources for clinicians to best help patients achieve the dual goals of effective pain management and reduction in the risk for addiction.”
Clinicians have a responsibility to coordinate patients’ pain treatment and opioid-related problems. In certain situations, a reduced opioid dosage may be indicated, in joint consultation with the care team and the patient. HHS does not recommend opioids be tapered rapidly or discontinued suddenly due to the significant risks of opioid withdrawal, unless there is a life-threatening issue confronting the individual patient.
Compiled from published guidelines and practices endorsed in the peer-reviewed literature, the Guide covers important issues to consider when changing a patient’s chronic pain therapy. It lists issues to consider prior to making a change, which include shared decision-making with the patient; issues to consider when initiating the change; and issues to consider as a patient’s dosage is being tapered, including the need to treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal and provide behavioral health support.
Coalition Reaches Consensus on Recommendations to Prevent Secondary Fractures in Adults 65+ with Osteoporosis
Recommendations target all health care professionals who participate in the care of older adults at risk for osteoporotic fractures
BOSTON (October 2, 2019) - A multistakeholder coalition assembled by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) has issued clinical recommendations for the optimal prevention of secondary fracture among people aged 65 years and older with a hip or vertebral fracture - the most serious complication associated with osteoporosis. Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center in the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is senior author on the report and served as co-leader of the project. The recommendations were published last month in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research to coincide with the annual meeting of the ASBMR where Dr. Kiel was honored with the 2019 Esteemed Frederic C. Bartter Award. This prestigious award is bestowed upon an ASBMR member in recognition of outstanding clinical investigation in disorders of bone and mineral metabolism.
EVS personnel play a critical role in preventing the spread of germs and healthcare-associated infections
“EVS and the Battle Against Infection” is an interactive graphic novel illustrating the important role of EVS personnel in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. The online version of the training tool features real-world infection prevention and control scenarios and allows participants to choose options that affect the outcome of the story.
Healthcare professionals are the first line of defense against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the spread of germs in healthcare settings. CDC now offers a new online interactive infection control training, “Let’s Talk Patient Safety: Reducing HAI Transmission Risk,” to help healthcare professionals identify infection risks and prevent the spread of HAIs. The training provides free continuing education for healthcare professionals, including nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, health educators, and other clinicians. (0.1 CEU and 0.6 CNE).
The free online training can be completed anywhere. It has two modules and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the entire training.
Module 1: “What’s the Risk?”
This interactive module transports healthcare professionals into a scenario where they must identify infection risks and take action to protect patients, colleagues, and visitors.
Module 2: “Chain of Infection”
This story-based interactive module challenges professionals to break the chain of infection in a busy healthcare environment and educates them on the consequences of not following infection prevention and control recommendations.
Please join Christine LaRocca, MD and the National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign to learn more about sepsis, who is at risk and the signs and symptoms for early detection. In addition, we will:
· Review examples of sepsis screening tools commonly used in hospital settings;
· Learn what tools to use while recognizing the limitations of sepsis screening tools in the nursing home population; and
· Understand the elements of evidence-based treatment for optimal outcomes.
Purpose of Review
To assess adverse events of antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder in adults 65 years of age or older.
Key Messages
In people 65 years of age or older:
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