Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/903742
13 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY CNAs Often Fail to Swap Out Contaminated Medical Gloves, Study Finds By Mackenzie Bean C ertified nursing assistants frequently exhibit inappropriate glove use in long-term care facilities, which can put patients at risk of infection, ac- cording to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. For the study, researchers examined CNA glove use through a random sampling of 74 patient care events in which CNAs aided patients with toileting and perine- al care at a long-term care facility. Researchers defined inappropriate glove use as not swapping out contaminated gloves for fresh ones or touching a surface with contaminated gloves. CNAs wore gloves for 80.2 percent of touch points, but failed to change gloves at 66.4 percent of glove change points. More than 44 percent of the gloved touch points were defined as contaminated, and all contaminated touches occurred with gloved hands. Notably, replacement gloves were available on all units during the patient care events. "Gloves are an essential component of standard precautions, and proper use of gloves is a critical component of best practices to prevent [healthcare-associated infections]," said Linda Greene, RN, APIC president. "This is especially important in long-term care, where residents are more vulnerable to infection and stay for extended periods. Facilities must continually educate healthcare providers about the importance of appropriate glove use to prevent infection and monitor adherence to this practice." n Bedford VA Medical Center Under Investigation After Patient Died While Nurse Aide Played Video Games By Mackenzie Bean F ederal officials are investigating care laps- es at Bedford (Mass.) VA Medical Center that may have contributed to the 2016 death of a patient, reports e Boston Globe. Here are seven things to know. 1. Hospital staff found 68-year-old Bill Nutter, a Vietnam veteran and retired police detective, dead in his bed at Bedford VA Medical Center last year. Mr. Nutter lost both his legs from diabetes and suffered from a heart condition that threatened to spontaneously send him into cardiac arrest. 2. Staff members initially told Mr. Nutter's wife, Carol, his heart stopped in his sleep, and there was nothing they could have done to save him. 3. However, a nurse's aide on duty the night of Mr. Shutter's death later admitted to playing video games on her computer instead of regu- larly checking on Mr. Nutter during her shift. 4. Internal hospital records indicate the nurse who found Mr. Nutter the next morning told her boss about the death by making "a crude gesture signifying a slit throat," according to The Boston Globe. 5. Bedford VA Medical Center immediately reassigned the aide to a cafeteria position and terminated the nurse who made the gesture. 6. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General is conducting a criminal investigation with the U.S. attor- ney's office and the FBI to identify potential care lapses that may have contributed to Mr. Nutter's death. 7. Maureen Heard, a spokeswoman for Bed- ford VA Medical Center, declined The Boston Globe's request for comment. n Intermountain Hospital Now Screens All Mothers for Emotional Wellness Before Discharge By Mackenzie Bean I ntermountain Healthcare's Utah Valley Hospital in Provo now conducts an emotional wellness screening on every woman who gives birth at the hospital prior to discharge. Utah Valley Hospital staff members previously educated mothers on the symptoms of emotional and mental is- sues — such as depression, anxiety and panic disorders — to look for at home and encouraged them to contact their physician, if needed. Now, women who demonstrate signs of emotional wellness issues during the screenings speak with a clinical social worker at the hospital, who also checks up on them after they're discharged. Since implementing the screening protocol in April, Utah Valley Hospital has already seen an increase in the amount of women identified as need- ing emotional care. "We now catch one or two more cases a day of mothers who have signs of mental or emotional chal- lenges because we're performing this screening to all our mothers," said Mildora Leerhoff, RN, manager of Utah Valley's mother/baby unit. "These issues affect women across all demographics and they don't have to have any previous history of mental illness." Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare will share the screening tool across all hospitals in the health system. Intermountain's American Fork (Utah) Hospital and Orem (Utah) Community Hospital have already made plans to adopt the new screening process. n