Category: Patient Safety

NHSN Data Deadline for PY2020 QIP

NHSN has advised that NHSN data for July 1-September 30, 2018 must be submitted and corrected by December 31, 2018 in order to be applied to PY2020 QIP scores. NHSN recommends:

Contact the NHSN Helpdesk at nhsn@cdc.gov with subject line “Dialysis” if you have any questions.

The NHSN software was updated to Version 9.2 on December 8, 2018, with many additions and changes, including analysis updates. Please carefully review pages 1 and 7-8 of the Version 9.2 release notes at https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/nwrn.org/files/NHSN/NHSN9.2.pdf for important details about these changes. To use any of the new analysis output options you must first Regenerate Datasets. Send any questions to the NHSN Helpdesk at NHSN@cdc.gov.

When Disaster Strikes: Help for Patients Who Rely on Durable Medical Equipment

When durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) are lost, destroyed, or damaged to the extent that they can’t be used anymore due to an emergency, Medicare

will pay for the replacement DMEPOS that a Medicare beneficiary owns or purchased. Examples of DMEPOS include: home oxygen equipment, diabetes testing supplies, wheelchairs, canes, walkers, artificial limbs, braces, and enteral nutrients and supplies. The link below can help you guide medically vulnerable patients should an emergency cause them to lose use of DMEPOS.

https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/Downloads/Emergency-DME-Beneficiaries-Hurricanes.pdf

Education: A Critical Factor in Understanding De-escalation Techniques

Health care workers have an increased risk of workplace violence compared with workers in private industry, with nurses as the most common victims, and patients as the most common perpetrators, according to an article “Aggression Management Education for Acute Care Nurses: What’s the Evidence?” Risk factors include influences such as ongoing aggressive behaviors, psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, stress/frustration/anxiety, a sense of powerlessness, perceptions that violence is tolerated, inadequate security, long wait times, and lack of awareness. The article offers great tips on how education about aggression management was successful in building confidence in areas such as situational awareness, de-escalation practices and early intervention.
Click here to learn more about de-escalation techniques as presented by Margo Halm, RN, PhD, NEA-BC in the article “Aggression Management Education for Acute Care Nurses: What’s the Evidence?” and contact your Network whenever you need further guidance on managing a difficult patient situation.

Learn the Signs of Sepsis

According to the CDC, more than 1.5 million people in the United States get sepsis every year. More than 250, 000 Americans die of sepsis each year.  Sepsis is the body’s most extreme reaction to an infection. It is life-threatening, and should be considered a medical emergency. if it not treated in a timely manner and with the appropriate therapies it will lead to organ failure, tissue damage and possibly death.

Anyone can get an infection, and almost any infection can lead to sepsis. Some people are at higher risk of infection and sepsis, including:

  • Adults 65 or older
  • Immunosuppressed populations:
  • People who have chronic conditions
  • Children under one year

Taking the time to learn the symptoms of sepsis can save a life.

There is no single sign or symptom of sepsis. Early signs of sepsis involve a combination of symptoms that can include infection (suspected or confirmed) and* :

  • Confusion or disorientation (the patient that “just isn’t right”)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Fever with or without uncontrollable chilling, “can’t get warm”
  • Extreme pain or discomfort
  • Clammy and sweating skin.
  • Patient will often voice that “something is wrong:”

*People with sepsis typically have more than one of these symptoms.

Any individual with this combination of symptoms requires an immediate assessment at an emergency department for evaluation and appropriate treatment. The required treatment cannot be provided in an outpatient ambulatory clinic.

For more resources for staff and patient education please visit the CDC website. https://www.cdc.gov.sepsis