Please review attached educational handout on The Cactus Smart Sink from our partners in North Florida.

Key Points:

· The sink is for raw pharmaceutical waste only – tablets/capsules, liquid, and fentanyl patches

· Only Controlled Substance pharmaceutical waste is to be placed into the Cactus Sink

· Placing unapproved items in the collection slots of Cactus sink prevents proper disposal of controlled substances and presents opportunities for diversion

Cactus Smart Sink

Please comment below with questions. 

Thank you for your dedication to patient safety!

• NEVER hand your sharps to anyone else.
• NEVER let others hand their sharps to you including physicians.
• ALWAYS engage safety device after an injection.
• DO NOT use your body parts to engage the safety device after an injection! ALWAYS use a surface that is AWAY from you and the patient instead (e.g., instead of using your other hand to engage the safety, use the tabletop instead).
• Place sharps into the sharp container IMMEDIATELY after an injection instead of leaving the sharp on the patient’s bed or the bedside table.
• NEVER take your eyes OFF of the sharp.
• Make sure the sharp ACTUALLY goes INSIDE of the sharp container.
• NEVER attempt to recap a contaminated needle after an injection. Instead, toss the sharp into the sharp container IMMEDIATELY after use.

Please comment below with questions.

Thank you!

Please ensure you are utilizing the parameters per MD orders when administering pain medication.

Example: Patient stated pain score 6.

MD Order:

Percocet 1 Tab PO Q6H PRN for pain score 1-3

Percocet 2 Tabs PO Q6H for pain score 4-7

Pain score greater then 7, call MD for additional orders.

Pain Medication Administration:

Percocet 2 Tabs PO Q6H

Please comment with questions. 

Thank you for your dedication to patient care!

Please review attached education regarding Dilaudid Ordering and Pain Re-Assessment. The Goal is to ensure safe and appropriate ordering of Dilaudid IV by creating layers of safety across the entire medication process.

Please comment below with questions. 

Thank you for your dedication to patient safety!

Dilaudid Dose Assesment

Please review education provided by our partners at Clear Lake Regional in the Gulf Coast Division.

Nimodipine is considered a critical medication and must be administered within 30 minutes of the scheduled administration time. If unable to administer within this time frame, please document a reason for delay or early administration in the comments section of the eMAR or in a nurse's note.

Please review the information below regarding protecting patient protected health information (PHI). We have a responsibility as health care providers to protect our patient's protected health information.

• We must ask for permission to discuss any health information with individuals present in the room other than the patient.

• When entering a room to discuss health information with a patient, first ask the patient for their permission to discuss health information in the presence of other family members or visitors.

• Don’t assume that the patient authorizes discussing their health information with the person just because they are in the room.

Please comment below with questions or concerns.

Thank you for your dedication to patient care!

Attached is the EBCD Education Update for Behavioral Health, Go-Live September. This impacts all BH unit nurses.

Please review and comment with questions.

Thank you for your dedication to patient care!

BH Routine

EBCD Updates impacting Inpatient Nursing, C.N.A/PCT, OR-all areas, ED, and Inpatient Rehab. Please review the attached education and comment with questions.

Thank you for attention to this educational opportunity!

Inpatient Rehab

Hygiene Care

NUR.Module

OR Module

ED Module

In an effort to assist with communication from Regulatory Body visits, our partners at Medical City Dallas have created a document: Regulatory Terminology vs. "Our Terminology." This document reviews potential questions and the answers as it relates to the common terminology.

Please comment with questions.

Thank you for all you do!

Regulatory Terminology

Healthcare providers will inform all patients with LEP, of the availability of qualified language assistance to ensure effective communication. Consent must be obtained if the patient does or does not want interpreter services.

Family members or friends will not be used for language assistance except: in emergency involving an imminent threat to the safety or welfare of an individual or public.

Please comment below with questions.

Thank you for all you do!