Hospitals Asked to Monitor Pain

Article

The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) has set new rules for hospitals concerning patient's pain.

Doctors and nurses need to start paying more attention to pain or their hospitals face loosing accreditation.

As of January1, JCAHO requires hospitals to access, monitor, and manage pain in all patients regularly. Advocates for the dying and terminally ill have argued for such a ruling for many years, saying medical professionals often ignore pain. This adds unnecessary suffering, only worsening a patient's life.

Healthcare officials will also be required to educate staff, patients, and relatives about managing pain.

The new regulations were published a year ago by JCAHO, allowing hospitals time to adjust to the policy. Surveys show 90% of accredited hospitals are already complying with the new standards.

Information from www.washingtonpost.com

Recent Videos
Veterinary Infection Prevention
Meet the Infection Control Today Editorial Advisory Board Members: Priya Pandya-Orozco, DNP, MSN, RN, PHN, CIC.
Fungal Disease Awareness Week
Meet Matthew Pullen, MD.
Clostridioides difficile  (Adobe Stock 260659307 by gaetan)
Henry Spratt, Infection Control Today's Editorial Advisory Board member
Picture at AORN’s International Surgical Conference & Expo 2024
Rare Disease Month: An Infection Control Today® and Contagion® collaboration.
Infection Control Today Topic of the Month: Mental Health
Related Content