The Holiday Season and Healthcare - Considerations for Healthcare Providers
The Holiday Season and Healthcare - Considerations for Healthcare Providers
The holiday season is a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends. Depending on your level of enthusiasm, you may be someone who prepares for celebrations’ month in advance. Of course, there are varying levels of cheer and excitement when it comes to holiday planning. It is important to consider that not everyone is as enthusiastic about the holiday season. The rising cost of living and expenses associated with holiday celebrations can contribute to increased stress levels for many. We encourage healthcare professionals to be mindful of others to raise awareness of patients and team members who may be silently struggling around them.
Here are a few tips to help identify those in need of warmth and kindness this holiday season:
Administrators and Leaders
- Revisit and repost resources available for inpatients and outpatients who may need follow up care and monitoring. Re-educate healthcare providers on how to reference available resources and contact information if needed.
- Check in with your team members. Be sure to ask how they are doing. Acknowledgement of someone’s well-being goes a long way. This is especially important in extremely busy and stressful healthcare settings.
- Offer flexible scheduling options and split-shifts, if possible, to allow staff to have a fair opportunity to enjoy even a partial holiday with family.
- Allow employees to hold a potluck or a white elephant gift exchange maintaining a minimal cost cap.
- Allow team members to decorate in accordance with regulatory compliance standards. Check on out our previously published newsletter for more information. Employee engagement goes a long way when it comes to boosting spirits!
- Post information about employee assistance programs or resources available for those who may be struggling with depression during the holiday season.
Healthcare Providers
- Be sure to continue to screen patients for depression and risk of suicide. It is okay to deviate from the computer generated EMR tools that you use every day. Feel free to use a warm, more personal touch when talking with patients. There is nothing wrong with asking a patient if there is anything that may be troubling them that they would like to discuss.
- If you determine that a patient may be at risk, be sure to enlist the help of additional support services for both in-patients and outpatients.
- If you determine that a patient is having suicidal ideation, immediately put the appropriate safety measures in place and providers responsible for the care and safe disposition of the patient.
We have immense gratitude for all healthcare professionals, especially those working long and hard hours during the holiday season to keep us safe. From all of us here at HCE Global, we would like to wish you and yours a joyous and safe holiday season!
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It is that time of year again. At least for acute care hospitals, long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) who report to The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). If annual surveys are not reported by March 1 st , then your organization will not be permitted to enter monthly reporting plans until the annual survey has been completed. Although there are just a few weeks to go, early planning is the key. It is important to consider that responses to the Annual Survey questions are a collaborative effort. Planning a meeting in advance with key stakeholders will help to ease the stress of completing what some may consider to be a daunting task. Be sure to coordinate with Facilities Managers, Pharmacists, Laboratory, Nursing, Infection Prevention and Quality leaders on annual survey responses. Although individuals who are responsible for report submission may find that some of the data has not changed significantly from the previous year, we have identified that some questions have been removed while additional questions have been added. If you are new to NHSN reporting and have not yet completed an annual survey, you will find an alert reminding you on your dashboard upon logging in. Keep in mind that the survey you are completing requires data from the previous calendar year. You will be submitting data for 2024 due March 1 st , 2025. There are a variety of questions that will require information about metrics, facility type, infection prevention practices, laboratory testing methods, water quality management, and antimicrobial stewardship practices for example. Instructions on completing your organization’s annual survey click on the link below that corresponds with your facility type: Instructions for Completing Annual Hospital Survey Instructions for Completing LTAC Annual Survey Instructions for Completing IRF Annual Survey OSHA requires the following facilities to complete an annual occupational injury and Illness Report: Ambulatory Health Care Servies General Medical and Surgical Hospitals Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals Specialty Hospitals Skilled Nursing Facilities For a complete list of facilities required to report annually via electronic submission and for additional information on Standard 1904 Subpart E Appendix B click on the following link: OSHA Injury and Illness Reporting Requirements . Much like NHSN annual surveys, this reporting is also for the prior calendar year. Your deadline for submission is March 2, 2025. If your organization has not previously been reporting, please note that you will need to set up an Injury Tracking Application (ITA) account. For complete instructions, click on the following link User Guide . Individuals who are responsible for report completion and submission should have a clear understanding of criteria that constitutes a work-related injury. They will also need to know if the employee missed days of work because of injury or illness. If an employee was restricted from usual work activities or reassigned to a new role as a result of the injury or illness this information must be documented. If an employee required care beyond basic first aid, this will also need to be reported. Reporters should not include Protected Health Information (PHI). For a brief tutorial on OSHA annual reporting requirements, click on the following link OSHA Injury and Illness Reporting . Our experts understand the challenges that all healthcare facilities are facing today. Using a customizable approach, we will help you navigate through even the toughest of challenges. Whether you are in need of mock surveys, leadership training, corrective action plans or ongoing support services, we can help! We pride ourselves on helping our clients achieve and maintain a status of excellence in the healthcare industry. Be sure to browse Our Website for a full list of services we provide. Contact us today at +1 (800) 813-7117 to schedule a free consultation. References: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/forms/instr/57_103-toi.pd https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904SubpartEAppB https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/ita_user_guide.pdf https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/osha_rktutorial.pdf
