National Nurses Week begins Wednesday May 6th and ends May 12th, Florence Nightingale's birthday. At a time when the world seems upside down and we begin to realize how much we have taken for granted, we recognize and CELEBRATE a profession that always makes us feel better.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently cautioned against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 outside of a hospital setting or clinical trial.
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic we are all facing is an extraordinary situation that has greatly modified so many of the things we take for granted. There are many lessons already learned...and, of course, others still to come. One thing we know for certain is that some processes will be forever altered — and others will need to be improved. Although it may seem overwhelming right now, it’s prudent to start thinking about things that can be modified going forward. As a consultant pharmacist, below are five key items I suggest you think about now to better prepare yourself, and your facility, for a world post COVID-19.
With the White House announcing the Guidelines for Opening up America Again, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) should be ready to go when your state provides specific guidance. Have you taken the appropriate steps to prepare?
Consultant pharmacists are medication management specialists who work in a variety of settings like ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), senior care facilities (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living facilities) and also by helping individual patients. These pharmacists provide expert advice on pharmaceutical services, patient safety, and drug therapy management.
In a three-part series, we will discuss how a consultant pharmacist can benefit each client and how you can find the right consultant pharmacist for your needs. This month, we’ll focus on how ASCs can enhance patient safety by using an expert consultant pharmacist. In the coming months, this series will also discuss how consultant pharmacists can have a dramatic impact on long-term care facilities and on individual patients’ lives.
Depending on your type of healthcare practice setting, you either have absolutely no free time, or very little to do during the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. If you are one of the many healthcare professionals on the frontlines caring for those affected, your primary, and really, only focus, is to provide care and support for those who are ill, as well as yourself. Because of this shift in focus, there are some healthcare facilities and professionals who currently find themselves with extra time due to the sudden work reduction or work stoppage, including cancelation of elective surgeries. Don’t let this downtime go to waste…use it to prepare yourself, and your practice, to better serve your patients and enhance regulatory compliance. As a consultant pharmacist, I am always looking for ways to keep my facilities ahead of the curve: below are five ways to put your downtime to use and stay productive and be on the leading edge.
This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) One & Only Campaign turns ten years old. The One & Only Campaign, as you may know, focuses on eliminating unsafe injection practices. In the span of a single decade, healthcare facilities across the country have come a long way in improving patient safety via safe injection practices — but: there is still much work to be done.
Vaccines have greatly reduced the burden of infectious diseases and they play a critical role in managing public health today. The benefits of vaccination extend far beyond prevention of specific diseases in individuals to the protection of entire societies. For vaccines to achieve their best results, however, they must be handled, stored and administered correctly. Do you know the best way to store vaccines? Is your healthcare facility following best practices for vaccine storage?
Antibiotic stewardship is a global issue and it’s something we all must address. At the facility level, it’s not only a regulatory concern, it’s a patient safety issue. With the ongoing global spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID- 19), the issue of antibiotic stewardship (already a significant focus by the certification and accreditation bodies), has been pushed even further out into the spotlight. Beyond just being a survey challenge, antibiotic stewardship can have a profound impact on patient outcomes — not only today’s patients, but also future patients.
This week, we’re celebrating National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8-14, 2020). According to the Institute for Health Improvement (IHI), National Patient Safety Week is an annual recognition event meant to encourage everyone to learn more about health care safety.
