CME Insider's Blog Posts

More than two (2) acts of violence are committed each hour against nurses¹. That’s roughly 57 assaults a day.

What’s especially concerning is that this statistic does not include all healthcare professionals, nor does it capture unreported assaults chalked up to “part of the job”! Equally mind boggling is that the majority of these assaults are by patients. Patients, the same people healthcare workers solemnly pledge to help by making their health the first consideration.

While a bill called the Safer Hospitals Act (HB 3832)² recently passed the Georgia House, it is an after-the-fact penal solution that calls for 3-20 years prison time for assailants. Certainly a deterrent, but what about real-time intervention when caregivers need it most? “Nurses deserve to be protected and feel safe while caring for people in their most vulnerable state” says Dr. Jeff Doucette, Chief Nursing Officer, Press Ganey.¹

Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) can help create safer working environments.

Of all the vital signs, blood pressure (BP) measurement has perhaps the strongest connection to point of care diagnosis, patient risk stratification and medication dosing. These critical factors of care management are essential to precise decision-making tied to better patient outcomes. Because of its centrality in care and clinical outcomes, it is essential for BP measurement to be accurate, consistent and repeatable.

COVID-19 has profoundly changed the point of care, challenging healthcare systems, practices, and providers to think differently about the healthcare experience and the delivery of care.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has become a conventional material in the healthcare industry.  From flexible tubing to device components, PVC has found its way into various applications. While some view the material as beneficial to the industry, it does not come without controversy. One major pain point rests with the fact there is no known safe way to produce or dispose of PVC products. Even worse, when PVC is broken down, hydrogen chloride gas and dioxin are released, both of which are hazardous chemicals.

Being aware of non-PVC options should be a priority for planners and purchasers as they design and gather equipment and supplies for projects. Building a sustainable and eco-friendly institution starts with setting a solid foundation, and companies are now offering PVC-free versions of popular products, including upholstery and furnishing elements.

According to the American Hospital Association’s guide, Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals, healthcare facilities generate up to 25 pounds of waste per day per patient. What if we made a goal to lessen waste by thinking green from the very beginning, during the planning and purchasing stage?  

In healthcare, even the smallest detail can have a big impact. But, some clinicians may not even be aware that they’re not seeing as clearly as they could be to make the most accurate diagnosis at the point of care.

A new offering from two long standing leaders in the medical industry is helping to change that. At the start of 2018, Midmark and HEINE launched a new partnership to provide customers with three types of high quality diagnostic instruments: otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, and manual sphygmomanometers. 

If you are the person in charge of healthcare equipment procurement, you may already have a mental list of the basic equipment you should include, even if you have never taken the time to write it out.

To help, CME has compiled a basic list of needs for your facility, which you can build on to meet your specific needs:

As independent, outpatient medical practices have become part of integrated health systems, networks have struggled to establish standardized processes. This is a problem. Simply put, disconnected processes and devices at the point of care can have a big impact on costs and outcomes.

Manual vitals acquisition alone produces wasted time that can cost up to $1,600 per year per medical assistant. For health systems with hundreds of medical assistants, those costs add up—and the impact on clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction can be even greater.

Studies have also shown that manual data transcription produces a 6.5 percent rate of error on average. Assuming a caregiver sees 20 patients a day, that’s eight errors just capturing vitals.