The Joint Commission reviewed its most-read blog posts from 2018.
The details to know:
1. Hand hygiene compliance mandatory in ambulatory care settings. Starting in 2018, ambulatory care surveyors began issuing citations if they saw staff not following hand hygiene guidelines.
2. Infection control program elements. Crissy Benze, MSN, RN, shared the top infection program elements to remember, including hand hygiene, safe injection practices and patient placement.
3. Fluoroscopy services. The Joint Commission outlined new fluoroscopy services requirements, including equipment checks as well as physician and staff education.
4. The most challenging ambulatory care standards. The Joint Commission shared the standards ambulatory healthcare organizations had the most trouble with in 2017, including sterilization and clinician credentialing.
5. ASC patient safety resources from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The AHRQ published a series of patient safety resources for ASCs, including a survey tool and brochures for patients.