Drop in sentinel events in 2020, plus a risk reduction strategies for tracers

The number of sentinel events reviewed by The Joint Commission (TJC) in the first half of this pandemic-dominated year are well under the pace for last year. But that’s probably not unexpected given the lockdown of the nation’s hospitals as they focused on preparing for the 2019 coronavirus patient surge.

Even during “normal times,” summer activities expose Americans to a long list of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Few, if any, are prevented by face masks, hand-washing, and social distancing. Inevitably, camping, hiking, and even barbecues expose us to mosquitoes and ticks.

The Facilities Guidelines Institute (FGI) is asking for public comment through September on the 2020 update to the FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction, which “provide minimum standards for design and construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential health, care, and support facilities,” according to an FGI announcement

Always being ready for survey can be one of the greatest challenges, but there are tools. In the following excerpt from HCPro’s recently published Survey Coordinator’s Handbook, 21st Edition, we offer you a look at using tracers to assess how well your team is doing on compliance.

You be the surveyor.

Read the following information. See if you can cite the same A-tag deficiencies that CMS surveyors did using the federal agency’s State Operations Manual (SOM), Appendix A, with interpretive guidelines to enforce Medicare Conditions of Participation. The report findings are included at the end of this article.

The FDA warns that some ABHS manufactured in Mexico has been found to contain methanol (wood alcohol)—which is toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested, and can cause permanent blindness and death in its victims. On July 5, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a serious adverse health alert associated with methanol-based hand sanitizers. In June 2020, the FDA was alerted that patients were growing ill or dying from ingesting or using ABHS products containing methanol.