IAHSS report reviews drug-diversion problem
The International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation recently released a report called “Methods, Trends and Solutions for Drug Diversion” that outlines best practices for health care security professionals to help prevent unlawful access to prescription drugs. “Drug diversion is an ongoing problem for hospitals that can threaten patient safety and create significant liability,” the document states. “An effective program to prevent drug diversion includes safeguards to reduce the ability of employees to divert prescription drugs, as well as appropriate systems for detecting such activity and dealing with workers who are addicted to prescription drugs. A comprehensive plan incorporates all of the disciplines where employees can come into contact with prescription drugs, not just the pharmacy.”
CHD launches behavioral, mental health toolbox
The Center for Health Design (CHD) recently launched a portion of a new Topic Toolbox, titled “Behavioral & Mental Health.” Each toolbox contains a library of newly created and staff-curated content, including research findings, expert insights, strategies, tools and other useful resources connecting the built environment to better health outcomes and reduced cost of care. The publication of all behavioral and mental health materials produced for this toolbox are available and free to all until March 2019, CHD states.
FDA warns duodenoscope makers on studies
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month issued warning letters to all three duodenoscope manufacturers (Olympus, Fujifilm and Pentax) for failing to comply with a 2015 order to conduct post-market surveillance studies to determine whether health care facilities are able to properly clean and disinfect the devices. “The FDA has taken important steps to improve the reprocessing of duodenoscopes, and we’ve seen a reduction in reports of patient infections, but we need the required post-market studies to determine whether these measures are being properly implemented in real-world clinical settings and whether we need to take additional action to further improve the safety of these devices,” said Jeff Shuren, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. In related news, the FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American Society for Microbiology recently released voluntary standardized protocols for duodenoscope surveillance sampling and culturing, which update a 2015 CDC interim protocol. “For health care facilities that choose to implement duodenoscope surveillance sampling and culturing, these protocols can be used to help monitor the quality of a facility’s procedures,” the FDA states.
NFPA accepting comments on 101 and 99
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is seeking public input on the next editions of two key documents for health care facilities: NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, and NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code. NFPA 101 is the most widely used source for strategies to protect people based on building construction, protection and occupancy features that minimize the effects of fire and related hazards, while NFPA 99 establishes criteria for levels of health care services or systems based on risk to patients, staff or visitors in health care facilities to minimize the hazards of fire, explosion and electricity. Facilities professionals can submit comments online through June 27.
