Becker's Hospital Review

7 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY Physicians go a week or more between washing their white coats By Anuja Vaidya M any physicians go a week or more without washing their white coats, according to survey results published in the American Journal of Infection Control. e survey, conducted at Lincoln Hospital in New York City, includes responses from 62 attending physi- cians and internal medicine residents. Four survey findings: 1. irty-six percent reported wearing their white coats for seven to 14 days before washing them, and 21 per- cent said they went more than 14 days before washing their white coats. 2. Only 14.8 percent put their white coats through the laundry every three days or fewer. 3. More than half reported only owning one white coat. 4. Seventy-nine percent reported being unaware of 2014 Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America recommendations, which say white coats ideally should be washed daily or at least once a week. n Nurses sleep 83 minutes less before shifts, study finds By Mackenzie Bean N urses get significantly less sleep before a shift than on their days off, which could pose a threat to patient safety, according to a study published in Sleep Health. Researchers at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing in New York City analyzed survey data on sleep and nurse demographics from the RN Work Project and a related study. They also reviewed safety and quality data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nurses reported getting an average of 6 hours and 54 minutes of sleep before a work shift. In contrast, they reported getting an average of 8 hours and 17 minutes of sleep on days off. Researchers also noted a statistically significant association between short sleep duration and lower care quality — as self-reported from nurses — and patient safety ratings. "Nurses are sleeping, on average, less than recommended amounts before work, which may be impacting their health and performance on the job," researchers concluded. "Healthcare managers may consider interventions to support nurses' sleep to improve patient care." n Nurse sues Pennsylvania hospital, says it fired her for refusing flu shot By Gabrielle Masson A nurse filed a lawsuit against Penn Medicine Lancaster (Pa.) Gen- eral Health Dec. 5, alleging religious discrimination after she was fired for not getting a flu shot, CBS 21 reported. Since 2012, Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine has required all healthcare professionals to get a flu shot every year, unless an exemp- tion is requested and approved. Shyanne Aukamp-Corcoran began working for the company in 2001 and received the flu shot from 2012 to November 2016. Around this time, she began attending church services and believing her religion required her to keep her body pure from any contaminants, according to the suit. After having a miscarriage in May 2017, Ms. Aukamp-Corcoran discovered the flu shot could increase the risk for miscarriage, the lawsuit stated. Due to her medical concerns and religious beliefs, the nurse chose not to receive any vaccinations. Her request for exemption, however, was denied Dec. 22, 2017. Ms. Aukamp-Corcoran still did not get the flu shot. She was fired Jan. 5, 2018, for failing to receive the vaccination, the suit claimed. "As a general practice, we do not comment on ongoing litigation or personnel matters," Penn Medicine said in a statement to CBS 21. "Many hospitals across the country have mandatory flu vaccination programs to provide for the health and safety of their patients, visitors and employees." n Northwell pilots black boxes in ORs By Mackenzie Bean N ew Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is piloting the use of black-box technology in its operating rooms to collect more information during surgical pro- cedures and improve care quality. Laparoscopic urologic and colon surgical teams are currently using the OR Black Box technology in two ORs at Northwell's Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City. Similar to flight recorders used in the aviation industry, the technology captures video footage, audio recordings and physiological data during a procedure. After the surgery, this information is compiled into a report that leaders can use for care quality reviews. Northwell is the first health system in the U.S. to pilot this technology in its ORs. n

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