Community-Based Hospitals Benefit From Restrictive Transfusion Practices.

Blood availability was uncertain during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet transfusion remained a common and sometimes necessary procedure. Substantial work on optimizing transfusion practices is centered in tertiary hospitals as high utilizers of blood while the care delivered in smaller community hospitals comprises more than half the nation's transfusions. Improving transfusion practices in community hospitals represents a substantial opportunity to enhance patient safety and the availability of blood resources.

Decreasing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) at a community academic medical center using a multidisciplinary team employing a multi-pronged approach during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the midst of the COVID - 19 pandemic, a multidisciplinary team implemented evidence-based strategies to eliminate catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), as defined by the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definition for those units included in the NHSN standardized infection ratio. The team evaluated indwelling urinary catheters daily for indication, implemented a urinary catheter order set, established a urinary catheter insertion checklist, and promoted use of external urinary diversion devices. The facility NHSN standardized infection ratio for CAUTI was 0.

Perspectives From Academic and Practice Leaders on Nursing Student's Education and Role in Medication Reconciliation.

Background: Medication reconciliation is a complex process that occurs during hospitalization at admission, transfer and discharge and at each outpatient clinic visit. Despite numerous quality improvement initiatives implemented by healthcare facilities nationwide to refine the process, medication errors still occur. Medication reconciliation processes are institution specific and undergo constant refinement.