Tag: Environmental

Carbon-conscious health systems phase out desflurane anesthesia gas to reduce emissions

Editor's Note Citing environmental concerns, multiple health systems have stopped using desflurane anesthesia gas, Becker’s Hospital Review reported on May 7. Citing the Philadelphia Inquirer, the outlet notes that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health are among those that have eliminated the gas so far, with the…

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By: Matt Danford
May 15, 2024
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EPA rule to limit dangerous emissions from medical sterilization plants

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Editor's Note The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to reduce chloroprene and ethylene oxide emissions that will impact over 200 chemical plants across the nation, including medical sterilization plants, according to an April 10 report from USA Today. Under the new rule, the EPA will cut more…

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By: Brita Belli
April 11, 2024
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Why screening misses critical influences on patient health

Editor's Note Health record codes that track social, environmental, and economic influences on patient health outcomes are vastly underutilized during screening, according a December 19 EurekAlert! report on research from John Hopkins and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.   Published in Health Affairs Scholar, the study analyzes the…

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By: Brita Belli
December 19, 2023
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Effect of COVID-19 precautions on postop SSIs

Editor's Note This study from the Mayo Clinic finds that perioperative COVID-19 precautions did not significantly reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). The analysis included 29,904 patients who had colorectal, hysterectomy, hip, and knee prosthesis procedures at the Mayo Clinic’s multicenter institution between January 1, 2018 and December…

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By: Judy Mathias
May 22, 2023
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The Joint Commission seeking comments on proposed environmental sustainability requirements

Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking comments on proposed new requirements to address environmental sustainability for the hospital and critical access hospital programs. The aim of the proposed new Leadership (LD) Standard LD.05.01.01 is to help facilities minimize their carbon footprints as they…

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By: Judy Mathias
March 23, 2023
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Study shows ‘dramatic’ increase in early onset cancers

Editor's Note In this study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, titled “Is early- onset cancer an emerging global epidemic? Current evidence and future implications” and published by Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, the incidence of early onset cancers (cancer diagnosed before age 50), including breast, colon, esophagus, kidney,…

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By: Tarsilla Moura
September 9, 2022
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HHS releases tool to identify environmental hazards

Editor's Note On Wednesday August 10, the Department of Health and Human Services released the Environmental Justice Index (EJI), a tool used to identify health risks from pollution and other environmental hazards, the American Hospital Association July 10 reports. The EJI is the first national, geographic-driven tool utilized to measure…

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By: Lauren McCaffrey
August 11, 2022
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Best practices for ASCs: Cleaning in the COVID-19 era

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) rely on OR staff to clean the room during turnovers, sometimes contracting with outside firms to do terminal cleaning. As COVID-19 brings renewed attention to disinfection methods, ASC administrators may ask: What are the best methods to keep OR rooms clean? Since the pandemic began, the…

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By: Jennifer Lubell
May 24, 2022
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