Updated: 09/01/2004

Topics:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Agents, Diseases, Threats
Alcohol-Based Hand-Rub
Anthrax
Bar Codes
Biological & Chemical Chart
Biological Weapons
Bioterrorism/Disaster
Child Injury Prevention Guidelines
Drugs and Suppliments
Emergency Department
Emergency Physicians
Flu Immunization Recommendations
Geriatric Nursing
Guidelines
Hospital Flow Measurement
Infection and Epidemology
Mad Cow Disease
Mass Trauma
Palliative Care Guidelines
Patient Quality/Safety
Pneumonia
Pregnancy
Radiology
Rift Valley Feaver
Risk Management
Smallpox
Volunteer Fire Personnel Health & Wellness Guide
Workplace Safety

• Web-assisted Audioconference Calls - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is conducting a series of free Web-assisted audioconference calls on bioterrorism and health system preparedness. These calls are designed to share the latest health services research findings, promising practices, and other important information with State and local health officials and key health systems decisionmakers.  For more information, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/biotconf.htm.

• Bioterrorism and Health System Preparedeness Issues Briefs - Support of bioterrorism research and knowledge transfer is a natural outgrowth of ongoing efforts by the AHRQ to develop and disseminate evidence-based information aimed at improving the quality of the U.S. health care system.  For current list of Briefs available, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/btbriefs/. 
  

• The AHRQ has issued four new briefs on bioterrorism and health system preparedness:
  
• Addressing the Smallpox Threat: Issues, Strategies, and Tools;
• Disaster Planning Drills and Readiness Assessment;
• Optimizing Surge Capacity: Hospital Assessment and  Planning and Optimizing Surge Capacity;
• Regional Efforts in Bioterrorism Readiness.

• New AHRQ tool helps hospitals evaluate disaster-training drills.  HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a free tool to help hospitals evaluate their disaster training drills. Developed by the Evidence-based Practice Center at Johns Hopkins University, the tool helps hospitals identify their strengths and weaknesses during a disaster drill and improve their ability to meet required emergency management plans. Areas assessed include pre-drill planning, incident command, decontamination, triage and treatment. The tool also includes checklists to help hospitals tailor drills to specific health threats, such as a biological or radiation incidents, and a spreadsheet to track and compare drill performance among hospital units or hospitals. The resource, "Evaluation of Hospital Disaster Drills: A Module-Based Approach," is available from the agency as a notebook with accompanying CD-ROM by calling (800) 358-9295 and referencing AHRQ Publication No. 04-0032. It also can be downloaded online at http://www.ahrq.gov/research/hospdrills/hospdrill.htm.

Agents, Diseases, and Threats:

• CDC - Agents, Diseases, and Threats - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/index.asp

• NFPA Amends Code to Allow Hand-Rub Dispensers in Corridors. The standards council of the National Fire Protection Association has
  amended its Life Safety Code to permit hospitals and other healthcare facilities to install alcohol-based hand-rub dispensers in their corridors.
  The revisions were approved following a fire-modeling study commissioned by the American Hospital Association's American Society of Healthcare
  Engineers. For more information, go to  http://www.hospitalconnect.com/ashe/currentevent/abhi.html

Anthrax:

• Kaiser Permanent Anthrax Clinical Guidelines - http://www.kaiserpermanente.org/medicine/guidelines/anthrax.html

• Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) Article on Diagnosis and Treatment of Anthrax - http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v287n17/ffull/jst20007.html

Biological & Chemical Chart:

• Biological & Chemical Chart Approved By Delaware Division of Public Health 01/15/2004 (Word document)

Biological Weapons:

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Guide to All Biological Weapons - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/EmContact/Protocols.asp

Bioterrorism/Disaster:

• GAO Report "Hospital Preparedness:  Most Urban Hospitals have Emergency Plans, but Lack Certain Capacities for Bioterrorism Response"  (August 2003) http://www.nasemsd.org/GAO.pdf

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a National Public Health Strategy for Terrorism Preparedness and Response http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/tprstrategy/index.asp

• The National Mutual Aid Glossary of Terms and Definitions, which provides terms for equipment, teams, and personnel used in disasters, and Resource Typing Definitions - I, which organizes equipment and teams by category, capability, and capacity.  Each resource is organized in the following categories: emergency management, emergency medical systems, fire/hazardous materials, health and medical, law enforcement, public works, and search & rescue.  http://www.fema.gov/preparedness/mutual_aid.shtm

• Regionalization of Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response - www.ahrq.gov/clinic/evrptfiles.htm#bioreg

• CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative.  For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/childag/ChildAghome.html
  

• The Mayo Clinic's health information Web site has added a new section devoted to dietary supplements - www.mayoclinic.com; click on the "Drugs & Supplements" tab. It is a free information source on supplements.

Emergency Department:

• All Risks Ready Emergency Department - http://www.ER1.org

Emergency Physicians:

• American College of Emergency Physicians - http://www.acep.org/1,4634,0.html

Flu Immunization Recommendations:

• CDC releases new flu immunization recommendations.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended children
  age six to 23 months be vaccinated annually against influenza. Other new CDC flu prevention and control recommendations for 2004 include vaccinating
  close contacts of children under age 23 months. CDC also said inactivated flu vaccine is preferred over live, attenuated vaccine for close contacts of
  severely immunosuppressed persons, including health care workers. In addition, health care workers receiving live vaccine should refrain from
  contact with severely immunosuppressed patients for seven days after injection. For more on the new recommendations, go to
  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr53e430a1.htm.

Infection and Epidemology:

• Association for Professionals in Infection and Epidemology, Inc. - http://www.apic.org

Mass Trauma Preparedness and Response:

• CDC Mass Trauma Preparedness and Response - http://www.cdc.gov/masstrauma/default.htm

Mad Cow Disease:

• FDA - Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) - http://www.fda.gov/cber/bse/bseqa.htm

• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care have been developed by the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, a
  consortium of leading palliative care organizations. The new guidelines will assist the rapidly increasing number of palliative care programs
  established in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and health systems to deliver high-quality, palliative care for seriously ill patients and their
  families. These guidelines are now available at http://www.nhpco.org/

• Access Patient Safety Indicators Benchmarks - National benchmarks for the Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) of potentially avoidable complications and adverse events are now available on the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Web site. The description and definition for each of the PSIs are included. Go to http://hcup.ahrq.gov/hcupnet.asp.

• ICU Toolkit Improves Safety and Quality of Care - A toolkit designed to help hospitals improve safety and quality of care in ICUs is now available from the Michigan Health and Safety Coalition. The kit is a series of recommendations based on current research and best practices. It was developed by a nine-member volunteer workgroup of health professionals experienced in leading ICUs and improving patient safety and quality of care. You can access the toolkit at http://www.mihealthandsafety.org/icu_toolkit.html.

Pneumonia:

• Guidelines for Prevention of Health Care Associated Pneumonia developed by the CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5303a1.htm

• Pneumonia Severity Index Calculator developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - http://pda.ahrq.gov/clinic/psi/psi.htm

Pregnancy:

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued the first set of guidelines with specific recommendations for treating morning sickness.  To request a copy of the guidelines (#AP126 - Morning Sickness), send your name and address in an e-mail to resources@acog.org (as instructed on their web site and in a WashingtonPost.com article on 04/07/2004).
 
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has several patient education phamphlets available at http://www.acog.org/from_home/pubqry.cfm.

Radiology:

• Disaster Preparedness for Radiology Professionals - http://www.acr.org/dyna/?doc=departments/educ/disaster_prep/dp_primer.html

• CDC information on Rift Valley fever info:http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/rvf.htm

• www.irmi.com
• www.techdirectory.ws
• www.mc2consulting.com/target
• www.riskinstitute.org
• www.business.com
  

Smallpox:

• Centers for Disease Control Smallpox Fact Sheet, provides basic information about smallpox, including signs and symptoms, how the disease spreads, how to prevent exposure, possible use of smallpox as a biological weapon, and what to do if a such an emergency occurs. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/basics/outbreak.asp

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Smallpox Web Site - http://www.smallpox.gov

• Smallpox Vaccine Storage and Handling Course - go to http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/isd/spoxvsh/launch1.html

Tuberculosis:

• CDC - A Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Tuberculosis in the United States - http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001375.htm

• FEMA, NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL ANNOUNCE NEW HEALTH AND WELLNESS GUIDE  - The “battle of the bulge” hits even those men and women who brave the flames on behalf of their communities. So FEMA and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have joined forces to create a new guidebook providing comprehensive information on fitness and wellness specifically for volunteer firefighters and fire departments. The Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire Service, developed by staff of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), provides detailed information and examples of health and wellness programs aimed at the volunteer firefighter. The guide addresses fitness and exercise, including aerobic, flexibility and strength training, diet, smoking cessation, and other important health areas. The guide can be downloaded at http://www.usfa.fema.gov (click on publications) or ordered by calling (800) 561-3356 or (301) 447-1189.

If there is some information which you would like to see added to this page, please contact Christine Pauley at the Delaware Healthcare Association at christinep@deha.org.