Assessment of microbial bioburden on portable medical equipment in a hospital setting.

Objectives: Although routine disinfection of portable medical equipment is required in most hospitals, frontline staff may not be able to disinfect portable medical equipment at a rate that adequately maintains low bioburden on high-use equipment. This study quantified bioburden over an extended time period for two types of portable medical equipment, workstations on wheels and vitals machines, across three hospital wards.

Methods: Bioburden was quantified via press plate samples taken from high touch surfaces on 10 workstations on wheels and 5 vitals machines on each of 3 medical surgical units.

Development and implementation of a pharmacist-led telehealth medication management program for veterans receiving oral antineoplastic therapies through the MISSION Act.

Purpose: Veterans prescribed oral antineoplastic therapies (OATs) by community providers outside the Veterans Health Administration (VA) may lack access to comprehensive medication management. To address this, our multidisciplinary team developed and implemented a pharmacist-led telehealth medication management program for veterans prescribed OATs by community providers.

Summary: The program exclusively uses telehealth to connect veterans with a dedicated board-certified clinical oncology pharmacist who provides comprehensive medication management.

Effect of a "feedback prompt" from a disinfection tracking system on portable medical equipment disinfection.

Background: Portable medical equipment (PME) may contribute to transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms without proper disinfection. We studied whether a Disinfection Tracking System (DTS) with feedback prompt, attached to PME, can increase the frequency of PME disinfection.

Methods: DTS devices were placed on 10 workstations-on-wheels (WOWs) and 5 vitals machine (VM).

Frontline Nurse Feedback During the Development of a System to Track Cleaning of Portable Medical Equipment.

As part of the development and testing of an innovative technology for tracking disinfection of portable medical equipment, end-user feedback was obtained during an initial trial on two acute care hospital units. The disinfection tracking device was installed on the computers-on-wheels and vital signs machines. Each device had the capability of detecting a cleaning event, reporting the event to an online database, and displaying the time since last cleaning event on a visual display.

Capturing portable medical equipment disinfection data via an automated novel disinfection tracking system.

Background: Portable Medical Equipment (PME) such as workstations-on-wheels (WOWs) and vital signs machines (VMs) have been linked to healthcare-associated infections. Routine visual monitoring of PME disinfection is difficult. An automated Disinfection Tracking System (DTS) was used to record and report the number of disinfection events of PME in a hospital setting.

Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in a Nationwide Cohort of Older and Younger Veterans with Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, 2006-2019.

Little is known about real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) following the recent introduction of newer treatments, especially among older adults. We describe patterns of first-line (1 L) WM treatment in early (2006-2012) and modern (2013-2019) eras and report outcomes (overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse event (AE)-related discontinuation) in younger (≤70 years) and older (>70 years) populations. We followed 166 younger and 152 older WM patients who received 1 L treatment between January 2006 and April 2019 in the Veterans Health Administration.

Development and Pilot Test of an Online Training to Engage Managers to Support Workplace Wellness.

Objective: To contribute to a broader understanding of effective implementation strategies to help managers engage employees in workplace wellness.

Methods: We beta-tested an online training at four Washington state agencies (two test, two control). We administered a post-training evaluation, re-administered an online manager survey and conducted additional interviews with wellness leads.

Pharmacist-led collaborative medication management programs for oral antineoplastic therapies: A systematic literature review.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the structure, process, and outcomes of pharmacist-led collaborative medication management programs for oral antineoplastic therapies (OATs).

Methods: Included studies were peer-reviewed journal articles published in English, between January 2000 to May 2020, and reporting on pharmacist-led collaborative medication management programs for patients on OATs. To be included, studies had to report on the pharmacy practice model, pharmacist interventions, and outcomes of the medication management program.

Germicidal irradiation of portable medical equipment: Mitigating microbes and improving the margin of safety using a novel, point of care, germicidal disinfection pod.

Portable medical equipment (PME) can be an important reservoir of pathogens causing health care-associated infections. To address this, a novel, portable ultraviolet disinfection pod (UVDP) that allows for full 360-degree disinfection was developed. This investigation examined efficacy of the UVDP against microorganisms on clean, patient-ready PME.

Efficacy of pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light for disinfection of high-touch surfaces in an Ecuadorian hospital.

Background: Hospital environment in patient care has been linked on healthcare-associated infections (HAI). No touch disinfection technologies that utilize pulsed xenon ultraviolet light has been recognized to prevent infection in contaminated environments. The purpose of this study was: 1) to evaluate the effectiveness of pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light (PX-UV) disinfection for the reduction of bacteria on environmental surfaces of Hospital General Enrique Garcés, and 2) to evaluate the in-vitro efficacy against multi-drug resistance microorganisms.

Environmental effectiveness of pulsed-xenon light in the operating room.

Background: Manual cleaning and disinfection of the operating room (OR) environment may be inadequate due to human error. No-touch technologies, such as pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light (PX-UV), can be used as an adjunct to manual cleaning processes to reduce surface contamination in the OR. This article reports the cumulative results from 23 hospitals across the United States that performed microbiologic validation of PX-UV disinfection after manual cleaning.

Managers' Support for Employee Wellness Programs: An Integrative Review.

Objective: The aim of this integrative literature review is to synthesize the existing evidence regarding managers' support for employee wellness programs.

Data Source: The search utilized multiple electronic databases and libraries.

Study Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed research published in English, between 1990 and 2016, and examining managers' support in the context of a worksite intervention.

The Role of Managers in Employee Wellness Programs: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate managers' barriers and facilitators to supporting employee participation in the Washington State Wellness program.

Design: Exploratory sequential mixed methods.

Setting: Four Washington State agencies located in Olympia and Tumwater, Washington.

Factors Associated With Truck Crashes in a Large Cross Section of Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers.

Objective: This large, cross-sectional study calculated prevalence of disorders and assessed factors associated with self-reported lifetime crashes.

Methods: Truck drivers (n = 797) completed computerized questionnaires reporting crashes, demographics, psychosocial factors, and other elements, as well as had taken measurements (eg, height, weight, serum, and blood pressure).

Results: Most drivers were male (n = 685, 85.

ACOEM practice guidelines: elbow disorders.

Objective: The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has updated the treatment guidelines in its Elbow Disorders chapter through revision processes begun in 2006. This abbreviated version of that chapter highlights some of the evidence and recommendations developed.

Methods: Comprehensive systematic literature reviews were accomplished with article abstraction, critiquing, grading, evidence table compilation, and guideline finalization by a multidisciplinary expert panel and extensive peer-review to develop evidence-based guidance.