Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI

  In this episode of Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI Institute, we're talking with two ECRI Institute experts about endoscope reprocessing. Inadequate reprocessing of flexible endoscopes led to 30,000 patients being called for follow-up testing between 2005 and 2012, according to one estimate. Contaminated endoscopes can spread infections like HIV and hepatitis B and C, and even in the absence of an outbreak, media coverage of a recall can damage the facility's reputation. ECRI Institute's James Davis and Jackie Ferenschak discuss why endoscopes are difficult to reprocess effectively and strategies for helping staff succeed. In ECRI’s Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2019, we identified mishandling flexible endoscopes after disinfection on the list as a potential source of danger that we believe warrants attention. Members of the Healthcare Risk Control and PSO Plus programs can login to see our complete guidance on endoscope reprocessing.

In this episode of Smart Healthcare Safety from ECRI Institute, we're talking with two ECRI Institute experts about patient violence in healthcare. Patient violence is a problem that sits at the intersection of worker and patient safety, potentially affecting anyone who works in, is treated in, or visits a healthcare facility. The issue is enough of a concern that it has appeared on ECRI’s Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns list every year from 2014 to 2018.  Today, we'll look at what we know about the prevalence of violent acts committed by patients, some of the organizational and individual risk factors, and what organizations can do to equip their staff to reduce that risk and respond if violent incidents occur. Interested in learning more? Contact us at 610.825.6000, ext. 5891 or e-mail clientservices@ecri.org.