Patient Safety Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Disinfection Protocols In Osteopathic Family Medicine Offices, Riley Phyu, Harrison A Patrizio, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a substantial public health threat. Despite significant strides to curb HAIs in hospital environments, outpatient settings have not received the same degree of attention. Given their emphasis on holistic, patient-centered care, osteopathic family medicine offices are pivotal in both disease prevention and comprehensive patient treatment. The importance of simple yet effective disinfection protocols, such as thorough cleaning between patient appointments, cannot be overstated in these settings because they are integral to minimizing disease transmission.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the current disinfection protocols in osteopathic family medicine offices.

METHODS: A cross-sectional …

Communication Of Patients’ And Family Members’ Ethical Concerns To Their Healthcare Providers, Mariam Noorulhuda, Christine Grady, Paul Wakim, Talia Bernhard, Hae Lin Cho, Marion Danis

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

BACKGROUND: Little is known about communication between patients, families, and healthcare providers regarding ethical concerns that patients and families experience in the course of illness and medical care. To address this gap in the literature, we surveyed patients and family members to learn about their ethical concerns and the extent to which they discussed them with their healthcare providers.

METHODS: We surveyed adult, English-speaking patients and family members receiving inpatient care in five hospitals in the Washington DC-Baltimore metropolitan area from July 2017 to March 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the frequency, comfortableness, and helpfulness of discussions regarding …