Errors in infection control and medication management are becoming more prominent as care shifts to outpatient settings, according to data from The Joint Commission.
Three details to know:
1. The Joint Commission found 37 percent of accredited, outpatient health centers were not using personal protective equipment or maintaining sterilizers or conducting performance testing.
2. High-level disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment were issues for 85 percent of outpatient health centers, the Joint Commission said.
3. Forty-five percent of the centers studied were not taking action to prevent errors on the interchange of medications, including those on the list of look-alike, sound-alike medications.