It seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about the next wave of COVID-19 that will soon travel across the U.S. Numbers are rising across the nation and there is again a great focus on the capacity of hospital systems to diagnose and treat sick patients, as well as maintain capacity for everyday operations outside of coronavirus care.
While much of the discussion is on the ability to care for the increase in patients, we can't help but focus on the safety of healthcare workers as well.
Across the nation, governors are implementing mask mandates to help prevent community spread of COVID-19. In healthcare settings, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) requirements are mandated by organizations such as OSHA and the USP. Keeping up-to-date information meets state and federal requirements, but how this information is shared across the system is up to individual organizations.
In many instances, accessing PPE and hazardous drug information requires extra steps on the part of the caregiver to look up hard and digital copies of spreadsheets and documents. Unfortunately, the pace in the hospital doesn't always allow for focus on personal protection--especially during times with extremely high patient volume.
As we know, the results can be extremely harmful, even deadly. In the case of coronavirus, without proper PPE, not only is the caregiver at immediate risk of contracting the virus, but also of spreading it across the hospital system.
Digital tools like Rhazdrugs are designed to alert nurses, doctors or other caretakers to PPE and steps needed to protect themselves from illnesses including COVID-19. This information can be integrated into patient EHRs and displayed at the point-of-care, taking added personal safety responsibilities off of the caregiver. In fact, it's pretty hard to ignore!
So while you focus on gearing up for an influx of patients, consider including easy access to PPE and hazardous drug information as part of the preparation efforts. Digital databases add an extra layer of protection, something all our frontline workers could use right now!
Want to know more about how Rhazdrugs can help you create a safer work environment? Schedule a demo today!