WHERE WILL YOU BE IN THE EVENT OF A FLU PANDEMIC?

If there was an influenza pandemic, only half of hospital personnel would report for duty, according to a survey in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine. Researchers asked hospital workers how willing they would be to work in the event of an avian influenza pandemic if patients were being treated at their hospital. The workers also were asked what issues would be important in making their decision. Exactly 50 percent said yes, they would report for duty; 42 percent said maybe; and 8 percent said no. For those who said maybe, they cited their level of confidence in the hospital’s ability to protect them as the number-one factor in their decision. Researchers say the findings show the need for this issue to be addressed in pandemic disaster plans.

THE HIGH COST OF BEING UNINSURED

Hospitals are charging uninsured patients about two-and-a-half times more than those with health insurance. The mark-up has been steadily rising despite pressure to level prices. In 2004, the most recent year for which data was available, hospital patients without health insurance and others who pay for medical care out of their own pockets were charged an average 2.6 times more than those with health insurance, according to the study published in the May-June issue of the journal Health Affairs. That number has been rising steadily since 1984, but has jumped more quickly since 2000. Hospitals in the United States have come under fire from patient groups and lawmakers for marking up prices for those lacking the negotiating clout of a health insurer. But the price discrepancies are steadily worsening. For-profit hospitals had the highest discrepancy between costs estimated by Medicare and prices charged.

VA TO EXPAND INFECTION-CONTROL PROGRAM NATIONWIDE

Following dramatic success at one of its medical centers with reducing the infection rate from common, drug-resistant, hospital-borne bacteria, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has expanded the program to all VA medical centers.

Using simple, easy-to-follow techniques, clinicians at the VA’s Pittsburgh Health Care System dramatically reduced the number of cases of infection from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at their facility. MRSA is a dangerous infection that is difficult to eradicate, and it can cause pneumonia or infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is one of the most rapidly growing infections associated with healthcare facilities, and is responsible for more than 100,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States. The VA is now implementing this infection-prevention program at all 155 VA medical centers across the country.

RN WORKING CONDITIONS IN ICU LINKED TO RISE IN PATIENT INFECTIONS

Hospitals that have better working conditions for nurses are safer for elderly intensive care unit (ICU) patients, according to a recent report by Columbia University School of Nursing researchers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-associated infections are the number-six cause of death in the United States. Nurses, researchers say, are in a unique position to positively affect the safety of ICUs, if systematic improvements to their working conditions can be made. A review of outcomes data for more than 15,000 patients in 51 U.S. hospital ICUs showed that those with high nurse-staffing levels (the average was 17 registered nurse-hours per patient per day) had a lower incidence of infections. Higher levels of overtime hours were associated with increased rates of infection and skin ulcers. These findings, reported in the June issue of Medical Care, support the notion that a systematic approach aimed at improving nurses’ working conditions will improve patient safety.

NOW AVAILABLE: 'STATE OF THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE 2007'

Despite the increasing strain on America’s healthcare system—due to the rising number of uninsured and the rising cost of quality care—the system still functions, largely because of the frontline caregivers. The "State of the Healthcare Workforce 2007" was produced by AFT Healthcare to educate the public about the real situation for healthcare workers. "We hope this publication will sound the alarm about the conditions that need to change and will add to a constructive dialogue to bring about solutions," said AFT Healthcare president Edward J. McElroy. Copies of the almanac are available through your local.