Throughout 2019, Becker's asked numerous clinical leaders the following question: "If you could fix one patient safety issue overnight, what would it be and why?"

Healthcare providers inappropriately prescribe antibiotics to patients in ambulatory settings at least 25 percent of the time, according to a study published in The BMJ.

Lansing, Mich.-based Sparrow Hospital hired Kimberly Henry, RN, as a housekeeper in 1999. Today, she serves as a clinical nurse leader and assistant department manager at the hospital's intermediate care unit, reports the Lansing State Journal.

William Isenberg, MD, PhD, vice president of patient safety at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, credits some of the system's success with its safety work to what some might see as an unconventional workplace practice: storytelling.

Nurses get significantly less sleep before a shift than on their days off, which could pose a threat to patient safety, according to a study published in Sleep Health.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based HonorHealth has a lot to be proud of on the quality improvement front, achieving a nearly 40 percent drop in patient harm events in just four years.

Clostridium difficile infections may originate outside of hospital settings more often than previously thought, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

A nurse filed a lawsuit against Penn Medicine Lancaster (Pa.) General Health Dec. 5, alleging religious discrimination after she was fired for not getting a flu shot, CBS 21 reports. 

Numerous hospitals have detected molds in their facilities over the past year, capturing the attention of readers. 

Veterans Affairs employees improperly canceled an estimated 106,000 radiology and nuclear medicine tests and delayed about 115,000 tests from September to December 2017, according to a wide-ranging audit by the VA's inspector general cited by USA Today. 

Nearly 89 percent of school-aged children do not receive the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine before traveling internationally, a practice recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.

A patient with limited English proficiency was turned away from her MRI appointment at Bronson Battle Creek (Mich.) Hospital Dec 2. after staff told her there was not an interpreter available, according to USA Network affiliate the Battle Creek Enquirer.

The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first three flu-related deaths of the 2019-20 season Dec. 10.

HHS granted Sanofi Pasteur a $226 million contract to increase the country's capacity to produce a pandemic flu vaccine, according to AHA News.

Thirty-three patients contracted salmonella, likely after eating contaminated fruit, at several healthcare facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Over a span of nine years, Lyme disease claims in the U.S. increased 117 percent, from 0.027 percent of all private medical claims in 2007 to 0.058 percent in 2018, according to a FAIR Health analysis released Dec. 10. 

Randolph, Vt.-based Gifford Medical Center achieved a 57 percent decrease in antibiotic use after implementing new protocols from the hospital's Antibiotic Stewardship Committee.

Emergency responders rushed to Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital Dec. 9 after a white powder substance was discovered on the premises, according to Fox 61. 

The CDC identified Dank Vapes as the brand of vaping products most commonly linked to lung illnesses, reports CNBC.

Montebello, Calif.-based Beverly Hospital has achieved significant improvements in its hospital-acquired infection rates since implementing Lean management principles in 2017, according to Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook, the hospital's director of epidemiology.