Each year, it is estimated that there are approximately 3 million workplace exposures to bloodborne pathogens, risking employee health, not to mention costing employers millions of dollars. Despite this statistic, it is a common train of thought that bloodborne pathogens aren’t something people usually need to be worried about. While bloodborne pathogens can be deadly, they are not airborne or infectious through touch. Rather, bloodborne exposures are commonly due to accidental punctures in most work […]
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Sharps Injuries: Are You Taking Your Risk Seriously?
When it comes to healthcare, the safety of both patients and healthcare workers is paramount. One often overlooked but critical aspect of healthcare safety is the proper disposal of sharps. Sharps injuries, which include needle sticks and cuts from other sharp medical instruments, can have serious consequences for everyone involved. As a responsible medical waste disposal company, Waste Medic is here to shed light on this important issue and help you understand why it’s crucial […]
Read MoreHealth Systems Revamp C-Suite Roles
Hospitals and health systems are shaking up their C-suite and leadership structures as they focus on key areas to ensure long-term success. Becker’s has reported at least 20 health systems that have announced changes to leadership ranks and administration teams in 2023. The changes come as hospitals continue to grapple with financial challenges, leading some organizations to cut jobs and implement other operational adjustments. At the same time, some health systems are bulking up their […]
Read MoreWhat to Do If You Experience a Sharps Injury
Per the CDC, a sharps injury is a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or another sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids. This can include scalpels, razors, needles, lancets, blades, broken glass or any other sharp implement. The CDC knows there are many needle sticks and sharps injuries that occur during a year in hospitals and healthcare facilities, with over half of them unreported. Most happen innocently, like when nurses […]
Read MoreImproper Disposal of Medical Waste Costs Health Systems and the Environment
Health care is a major polluter both in terms of emissions and contributions to landfills. The combined health sectors of the United States, Australia, England, and Canada emit an estimated 748 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, more than all but the six top polluting countries in the world. Meanwhile, a report on 110 Canadian hospitals published in 2019 found those institutions generated nearly 87 000 tons of waste annually — roughly the […]
Read MoreImportance of Safe Working Conditions for Healthcare Workers
Healthcare organizations are recommended to develop a safety culture to promote both patient and occupational well-being. Safety culture is defined as the product of an individual and group values, perceptions, competencies, attitudes, and patterns of behavior that result in the commitment to, understanding, and proficiency of an organization’s health and safety management. Positive safety cultures are predicated on mutual trust and shared perceptions of the importance of safety as well as confidence in the efficacy […]
Read MoreNurses Experience Needlestick Injuries With Evenity Syringe Needle
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has received multiple reports of potential and actual needlestick injuries involving romosozumab-aqqg (Evenity), risking the transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or HIV to health care providers and patients. Romosozumab is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in patients who are intolerant of or have failed other available osteoporosis therapies and for postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture. The […]
Read MoreHas the Time Come for a Medical Waste Audit at Your Organization?
Health care organizations and medical professionals have shown a strong interest in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating sustainability into all aspects of a hospital’s mission takes focused commitment across the organization, as Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) leaders can attest. Two years ago, MGH launched its Center for the Environment and Health. The center integrates sustainability into MGH’s clinical, research and educational activities and is designed to improve the environmental health of the hospital and […]
Read MoreExamining the Impact of Medical Waste Management Policies
As we sail through the digital age, a new frontier has emerged in the realm of environmental protection—the online sphere. This vast interconnected landscape has become an essential catalyst in propelling discussions about various environmental issues, and medical waste management sits at the forefront of these conversations. Given the tremendous environmental repercussions associated with mishandling medical waste, it is imperative to address this issue head-on. In this article, we will explore the intricate dynamics of […]
Read MoreHPRC Releases Medical Waste Recycling Case Study
The study details why the University Medical Center Utrecht serves as a best practice example for hospital waste management and shares the knowledge the healthcare network has gained. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) has released a case study that explains how the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), a hospital located in the Netherlands, has overcome the recycling medical waste challenges that many members of the healthcare sector face due to a wide range […]
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